Before You Choose an Estate Agent

01

Start with the valuation, but do not be seduced by it

Three agents visit. One suggests £600,000. Another £625,000. The third £675,000. It would be entirely human to warm to number three. But an estate agent does not make your home worth more by saying a bigger number. Ask how they arrived at it.

Which genuinely comparable homes have sold? How does yours differ? What is buyer demand like at your price point? And what is the strategy for achieving the figure they are recommending?

A good valuation should leave you clearer about your position, not simply pleased by the biggest number. Pricing matters particularly in a market where buyers have plenty of choice.

Rightmove reported in May 2026 that homes which had not needed a price reduction found a buyer in an average of 36 days, compared with 127 days for homes that had been reduced, around three months longer.¹ That does not mean every later price reduction proves the original valuation was wrong; markets and circumstances change.

It does mean that an impressive valuation deserves evidence behind it.

02

Before anything else: how long are you tied in?

This deserves to be near the top of the list, because it can affect what happens if the service you were promised is not the service you receive.

Some agency agreements include a minimum tie-in period, sometimes 12, 16 or even 20 weeks, and there may be a notice period on top.² Before signing, ask exactly how long you are committed for and what happens if you want to leave.

Then ask a slightly different question: if an agent needs you committed for months, what will they be doing on day one, and on day 30, to keep earning your confidence? A long tie-in does not automatically mean poor service.

But it does reduce your freedom to change course if things are not working. An agreement with little or no minimum tie-in keeps the relationship dependent on something much healthier: the agent continuing to give you a reason to stay.

The best reason to stay with an agent is because you want to, not because a contract says you have to.

03

“We have thousands of buyers on our database...”

You may hear this. And a well-managed database can absolutely be useful. But think about how buyers actually behave. If somebody is registered with Agent A, are they really going to ignore the perfect house simply because Agent B listed it? Of course not.

Serious buyers search across the market. They use Rightmove and other portals, alerts, social media, direct searches and more than one agent.

So the meaningful question goes beyond “How many people are on your database?” It is: “How are you going to make the right buyers notice and want my home?” In today's market, getting the marketing right matters far more than simply being able to quote a large database number.

Ask whether suitable buyers will be contacted personally, how current the records are, what happens when somebody enquires and how quickly that enquiry is followed up. A database can open a door.

It still takes a good agent to turn interest into a viewing, a viewing into an offer, and an offer into a move.

04

Market share, pie charts and all those boards

“Would you rather be one of 10 clients, or one of 100?” “We sell more homes here than anyone else.” Market share can show that an agency is active, visible and experienced. What it cannot tell you is how it feels to be one of their clients.

If an agent is handling a very large number of homes, ask what that means for yours. How much individual attention will you get? Who will actually know what is happening with your sale?

Will you have one person to call, or will you need to explain the story again each time? How quickly will feedback reach you? Who notices if your listing needs fresh thinking rather than simply another week online? The same is true of boards.

Lots of For Sale and Sold boards create familiarity and local visibility. They can be reassuring, and they are also effective local advertising for the agency whose name is on them. Would you rather be one of 10 clients or one of 100?

Market share tells you how much business an agent has. It does not tell you how much attention your business will get.

05

Rightmove is the shop window. Not every position in the window is the same.

Being on the major property portals matters. But if every agent you're considering advertises there, simply saying “we're on Rightmove” does not tell you very much.

Rightmove offers agents different marketing products, including Premium Listings and Featured Property placements.³ Depending on the property and the strategy, extra visibility may be useful, but it should not simply be an automatic add-on.

Ask what level of portal marketing your agent recommends for your home, why they think it is appropriate, whether it is included in their fee and, if not, exactly what you will be charged.

It is also worth having a proper conversation about the Rightmove price points your home will sit within.

Buyers commonly search and set alerts around particular price bands, so the difference between one threshold and the next can affect who sees your property.

Your agent should explain the relevant price points, the competing homes around them and why their proposed positioning gives your sale the best chance.

Then look at what buyers will actually see: the photography, the first image, the wording, the floorplan, the video and the way the home is positioned. And ask about launch strategy. Who is contacted before or as the property goes live?

How are early enquiries handled? What happens after a viewing? What happens in week three if the response is quieter than expected?

06

Look at the marketing before you listen to the marketing pitch

An agent's existing listings tell you quite a lot. Look at homes at different price points, not just the flagship property they are proudest of. Is the standard consistently good?

Does each home have its own story, or could the description belong to almost any property? Also look beyond the portal. How does the agent use social media? Do their videos make you want to watch?

Does their marketing feel like something you'd be happy to see representing your home? Good property marketing is more than recording the number of bedrooms and photographing the rooms.

You're selling a lifestyle as much as a property.

The marketing should help a buyer understand what living there might actually feel like: the morning light in the kitchen, the walk to the village pub, the garden in summer, the space where everyone gathers.

You are selling the possibility of a life there, not just rooms and square footage.

07

What exactly are you paying for?

Fees matter. But the percentage on the front page does not tell you the whole cost, or the whole value.

Ask exactly what is included: professional photography, floorplan, video, social media, accompanied viewings, portal upgrades, EPC arrangements, sales progression.

And ask specifically whether there are any upfront charges before your home is sold, for photography, marketing packages or anything else, as well as withdrawal or cancellation charges if your plans change.

A cheaper headline fee can become less attractive if the things you expected are extras. Equally, a higher fee is not automatically better.

Clarity and honesty are key: you should understand exactly what you are paying, when you pay it, what is included and what service sits behind it before you sign anything.

08

Ask what happens after the first fortnight

Launch day gets a lot of attention, and the first 14 days are often when a home attracts its greatest level of interest. That period can tell you a great deal about whether the pricing and marketing are right. How often will the agent review the response?

What will they learn from online interest, enquiries and viewing feedback? If things are not going as hoped, what will they change? Sometimes price is the issue. Sometimes presentation, positioning, timing or competition is part of the picture too.

“Let's reduce it” may ultimately be the right advice. It just should not be the only idea in the room.

09

Who are you actually hiring?

This is one of the simplest questions, and one of the most useful. The agent who visits your home to carry out a valuation may be excellent: knowledgeable, personable, reassuring and genuinely interested in what makes your home special.

But will that same agent still be involved once you sign? And who will actually show prospective buyers around your home?

Will it be the person who has spent time with you, walked through every room and heard all the little details that don't necessarily make it into a property listing, but might just matter to the person viewing?

Or will it be somebody seeing the house for the first time themselves? Will it be the same person conducting each viewing, building up a picture of the reactions, questions and objections that come up time and again?

Or could it be somebody different each time? A good viewing is more than opening the front door. It's knowing the house, reading the buyer, knowing when to talk and when to give them space, and being able to have a meaningful conversation afterwards.

10

An offer is not the finish line

Getting an offer feels like the big moment. In reality, there is still quite a lot of estate agency left to do.

Chains need checking, solicitors need information, surveys can create questions, mortgage offers take time, people change plans, and delays happen.

Ask who handles sales progression and what that actually means in practice. How often are the parties contacted? How are problems escalated? Who keeps you informed?

And ask something more personal: what does the person progressing your sale actually know about your story?

Have they been with you through the valuation, the viewings, the feedback and the negotiation, or does your file arrive on their desk for the first time once Sold STC goes up? Some of the most important work an agent does begins after the offer is agreed.

Continuity matters here too.

11

Read the contract, and make sure somebody explains it

An agency agreement should not simply be put in front of you with a signature box.

A good agent should talk you through the important terms: the type of agency, the fee, the minimum term, the notice period, any withdrawal costs and when commission can become payable.

Pay particular attention to wording such as “ready, willing and able purchaser”.

In broad terms, this can mean that if the agent introduces a buyer who is prepared and able to exchange contracts on the agreed terms, the agent's fee may still become payable even if you later decide not to proceed.

The exact effect depends on the wording of your agreement, and agents using the term are required to explain its intention and effect in writing.⁴ Also ask about cancellation rights.

For many consumer agency contracts agreed at your home or online, there is a 14-day cancellation period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations.

If you ask the agent to start work during that period, there can be circumstances in which reasonable costs for work already carried out become payable, so make sure this is explained before you sign.⁵

Finally, ask the practical question: once the cooling-off period and any minimum term have passed, exactly how do I leave if I need to?

Is notice required? In what form? Are there continuing liabilities for buyers already introduced? You should understand the contract before you sign it, not discover what it means when you want to leave.