Dealing with estate agents isn't one of life's more enjoyable experiences. And it's expensive too. So it's good to hear that it's becoming ever easier to sell or buy a house without having to go anywhere near them.
If you want to avoid agents entirely, try using Tepilo.com. This website was set up by Sarah Beeny the presenter of Property Ladder. It's completely free to list your property on the site, but you do have to do all the hard work yourself. You can create an advertisement for your property with pictures, floor plans and maps and arrange your Home Information Pack online. The site will remind you when you have a viewing, or when you need to contact your solicitor. But you do have to handle the negotiations yourself via the website.
The website is tapping into a market that should grow. There is a strange imbalance in the property market at present. The majority of buyers start their search for a new house online, but most sellers still head to a high-street estate agent to sell their house, handing over thousands in fees in the process. Sellers "end up effectively having to pay £10,000 to get onto Rightmove", says Beeny in The Daily Telegraph.
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Considering that the average estate agent fee is between 1.5% and 2%, someone selling a house for £165,000 the average price, according to the Land Registry would save £2,475-£3,300. And someone selling in London, where the average price is £336,000, would save £5,040-£6,720.
But if the idea of selling your house yourself sounds a bit daunting, don't worry. You can cut costs and still get professional help by using a no-frills estate agent. Tesco has launched a new online agent called iSold, which will help you sell your home for a flat fee of £999.
At first the service will only be available in Bristol. But Tesco hopes to launch in ten other cities within the next two years. For the basic fee, you'll get an agent's valuation, property description, floor plan and photographs, a 'for sale' board, and listings on the major property websites. You'll have to conduct viewings yourself. But when an offer is made, iSold will deal with any negotiations. So you'll be saving thousands of pounds in return for just showing people around your home yourself. Sounds a good deal. Other budget agents include Houseweb.co.uk and Thelittlehousecompany.co.uk.
If you do prefer to stick with a high-street agent, make sure you negotiate the fees. The Office of Fair Trading has said that it believes £570m is wasted each year by sellers failing to haggle over agency fees. So don't be afraid to ask for a discount.
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