How To Choose An Estate Agent In The UK: Best Practices

Not sure how to choose an estate agent in the UK? That’s understandable – there’s plenty to think about isn’t there?

And there are also plenty to choose from. The number of estate agents is growing, according to The Negotiator. In recent years there has been a 10.6% increase, bringing the total to approximately 24,500.

Now as you’ve probably noticed, Fine Living is an estate agent too. So you might be thinking something like: “Why should I take your word on how to find the best estate agents in my area, Simon?”

Well, with my many years of experience, there’s plenty of advice I can share around how to choose an estate agent that will deliver the kind of service you expect. I can also warn you about what to watch out for, so that you don’t end up with one that will let you down.

Here are my best practices for choosing an estate agent in the UK. While at Fine Living we help people buy, sell, let, rent and invest, to keep things simple in this guide I’ll focus on finding an estate agent to help you sell or let out a property.

Find out how they’ll market your property

There are lots of different marketing approaches that estate agents can use, aiming to make sure that the right people see your property.

The right approach should depend on your preferences, not the estate agent’s. Do you want to be minimally involved, or heavily involved? Are you looking to sell or let out your property quickly or is time on your side?

The estate agent will take photographs of your property. Then, some of the potential marketing options include:

• Listing the property on property portals e.g. Rightmove and Zoopla
• Offering virtual tours and viewings
• 360° photos and videos
• Floorplans
• Email marketing to potential buyers
• In-person viewings
• Off market / discreet marketing
• Open house events
• Social media
• Print advertising…

…Print advertising, that is, if you’ve chosen an agent who thinks it’s still the 90s – and there are lots of them!

Think about what types of marketing you want to see, but also ask the estate agent – a good one should provide tailored advice for your specific property.

Ask about their valuation process

There is a fine art – but also, science – to accurately valuing property. If an estate agent gets it wrong, it can waste a lot of time and money.

An undervalued property means that as a buyer, you may not get the return on investment you hoped for.

But an overvalued property has consequences too, because ultimately the estate agent will need to reduce the price in the future anyway to sell it. And according to Which? properties that are reduced by 5% or more take an extra 64 days to sell on average.

So, browse the estate agent’s listings and see how many are reduced. There may be a few but if lots are reduced, think about whether this could be a warning sign.

Also ask about the estate agent’s valuation process. What ‘science’ do they use to value properties accurately?

For example, a Fine Living valuation takes a vast range of factors into account to find a fair price. My team stays updated with the latest market data – studying:

• Market trends
• Local borough updates
• New development plans
• Migration patterns

And much more!

Are they knowledgeable about your area?

Speaking of local borough updates and new development plans, it’s important to have an estate agent that knows all about these.

That helps with everything – from ensuring that your property is marketed at the right price, or if you’re buying, that you have a smooth experience.

So if you’re selling a property in London, use an estate agent with plenty of property knowledge in the capital. Take me for example – I’ve lived in London for over two decades.

Do they market properties similar to yours?

If their portfolio features properties that look similar to yours, that’s a good sign. It suggests they have experience selling or letting out properties like yours.

You can also ask the estate agent to show you specific properties that are similar to yours, what price they achieved, how that compared to the asking price and how long it took.

Why not try it out? Take a look at the Fine Living portfolio – do you see properties there that look like yours?

But if they don’t have many properties that look like yours, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not right for you. The key thing is to look for signs that the agent does their homework, working out how best to market a property based on its specific merits.

This brings me back to my last two points – are they knowledgeable about your area and how detailed is their valuation process?

How experienced are they?

If there’s a brand new estate agent on the block, who knows, perhaps they’ll one day be the best in the country.

But your property is too valuable to take a chance on them right now.

An estate agent with plenty of experience suggests they have a proven track record of accurately valuing properties and efficiently pairing them with their perfect new partners.

Industry credentials

An experienced agent should also have relevant certifications, showing that they do things by the book and that any money that’s spent with them is safe.

Estate agents are subject to consumer protection law. But there is no overarching statutory regulation of letting or managing agents, as UK Parliament confirms.

That’s one of the many reasons why Fine Living follows the Propertymark professional standards – a commitment to transparency, compliance and high standards. Propertymark has a Client Money Protection  (CMP) scheme – here is Fine Living’s certificate.

Not only that, but Fine Living also adheres to these:

• Property Redress Scheme (PRS)
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)

Transparent fees

No-one likes nasty surprises, especially if it means you have to spend more money than you had anticipated.

So ask estate agents for a detailed breakdown of their fees as you’re shortlisting them – a lack of detail here is not a good sign.

For example, take a look at the level of detail included in the Fine Living landlord fees breakdown, with a clear list of the different permutations. 

Look for signs of proactivity and enthusiasm!

Once you’ve ultimately finished choosing an estate agent, you’ll likely spend plenty of time working together before they finally sell or let out your property. You don’t want that time to feel like hard work, do you?

When getting in touch with an estate agent for the first time, see how friendly and responsive they are. If they’re hard to get hold of or seem disinterested, that’s probably how they’ll behave once you’re their client too!

Selling or letting out a property takes time and effort, so an agent that doesn’t look like they’re working hard for your custom is a red flag. Look for signs that they are not only enthusiastic, but proactive – likely to take the initiative, get things moving and make suggestions.

Is the agent a good listener? Do they ask you lots of questions? That’s a good sign that they’re thinking about how to tailor their service to your specific requirements.

Relationship building

By the same token, if you’re going to be working together, it’s important that you get along with each other.

Selling a property isn’t straightforward – that’s why you’re considering using an estate agent in the first place. So they shouldn’t bring the complexity back into your life, they should spare you from it.

How can you tell if you’ll have a good rapport with an estate agent? The first contact or meeting with them is a good indicator.

• Are they getting to know you?
• Do they remember what you’ve said previously?
• How did they make you feel?
• Do you feel like you can trust them?

And here’s another great sign that they’ll work hard to build a relationship…

Reviews and testimonials

If the estate agent’s previous clients are satisfied, there’s a good chance you will be too.

There should be plenty of positive testimonials on their website, so start with these. Then look further – what are previous clients saying on Google?

To see what I’m talking about, take a look at the Google reviews for Fine Living and see what you think.

Minimal or no delegation

Imagine you’re calling a customer service department. You listen to an automated voice, push a few buttons on the phone, wait in line and finally speak to someone.

Then that person listens while you explain the situation and hands you over to someone else. You wait in line again, get through to the new person and have to tell your story all over again…

…Sounds familiar? It’s frustrating when staff pass you around and it’s hard to feel a sense of continuity, which matters when you’re working with their company for weeks or months.

That’s a risk if you choose a big corporate estate agent, for sure. That’s not my way of doing things though.

The stance at Fine Living is that the person who meets you at the start is the one who will help you reach your property goals – no outsourcing, no delegation!

How do they vet potential buyers or tenants?

Another big waste of time is if lots of different buyers or tenants come round without making an offer. Let’s take tenants as an example.

Your estate agent shouldn’t just be focusing on the Right to Rent check and other tenant checks.

Long before they even come round to the property, the estate agent should be vetting them, making sure that they’re an appropriate potential candidate and a good fit for your property.

Ask the estate agent how they do this – does the approach sound like they’ll find the kind of tenant you want living in the property?

Final thoughts: Are they easy to get in touch with?

Last but by no means least, look for an estate agent who will make time for you or is straightforward to contact.

There’s little more frustrating than having an estate agent that’s hard to get hold of. That’s why the motto at Fine Living is, name the time and place.

That means a meeting in your home, at a coffee shop, by the river… I know you’re busy, so let me know where’s best. I’m also easy to reach by WhatsApp, phone, email, Zoom and so on. 

So if you were wondering “which estate agent should I use?”… I hope you’ve found this guide useful. There’s plenty to think about around how to pick an estate agent, but it’s worth taking some time to make an informed decision.

For some additional guides, take a look at the Fine Living blog. Recently we’ve covered whether you need a solicitor or conveyancer when buying a house, for example.

And if you want to see if this estate agent is right for you, please contact Fine Living!

Want to discuss the advice on this blog - or anything else?