More vendors are doing without the services of an estate agent. Photograph: Graham Turner
Swearing about estate agents may be a good way of letting off steam during the extremely stressful process of selling or buying a property, but would you be prepared to sell without one?
With house prices on the way down, anyone selling a property will be trying to squeeze every last penny out of their sale.
Cutting out the middleman by doing without the services of an estate agent is growing in popularity. DIY property selling sites are springing up, with prices starting at around £50 for an online listing rather than the 2% commission you might pay an estate agent.
When we sold our flat two years ago, through an estate agent, I was in contact with both our buyer and the vendor of the property we bought. We negotiated directly, discussed key dates and encouraged each other to nag our solicitors in order to get the process moving.
There were frustrating moments, and when the pressure was on towards completion relations were pretty fraught. In general, though, it was very civil, very businesslike, and there were moments where the chain may well have fallen through entirely had we not been in contact.
So when the estate agent took his fee on completion, I was left wondering what he had done to deserve it. Despite that, using an estate agent feels like the safe option, and I'm still not sure I would risk selling without one next time.
Have you sold a property without an estate agent?, or would you consider doing so? Is the money saved worth the time and trouble, and would you cope if negotiations turned sour?
