Don’t choose your estate agent on the valuation alone

Three estate agents visit your home.

One values it at £300,000.

Another suggests £310,000.

The third says £325,000.

Which one do you choose?

It’s tempting to assume the third agent has spotted £25,000 the others haven’t.

Perhaps they have.

But before signing anything, there’s a much more important question:

What evidence supports the figure?

Choosing an estate agent is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when selling your home, yet it’s often made remarkably quickly.

A confident presentation, an attractive fee and the highest valuation can be persuasive.

But you’re about to give a business responsibility for marketing what is probably one of your largest financial assets.

Twenty or thirty minutes of checking before you sign is time well spent.

And these checks should apply to every estate agent you consider, including us.

1. Is the estate agent registered with a redress scheme?

Start with something basic.

Residential estate agents must belong to an approved property redress scheme.

The two Government-approved schemes are:

The Property Ombudsman and The Property Redress Scheme.

Redress matters because it gives consumers somewhere independent to take an unresolved complaint about an agent’s service.

If you’re interviewing an estate agent, ask which scheme they belong to.

It should be an extremely easy question for them to answer.

2. Can they prove their valuation?

This is probably the most important commercial question you can ask.

Don’t just ask:

“What do you think my house is worth?”

Ask:

“What evidence have you used to arrive at that figure?”

A proper market appraisal should make sense when the agent explains it.

What similar properties have sold?

How comparable were they?

What did they actually achieve rather than merely advertise at?

How long did they take to sell?

What’s currently competing with your property?

What has recently agreed a sale?

And how does your home compare?

This matters whether you’re selling in Thetford, elsewhere in The Brecks or further across Norfolk and Suffolk.

Property markets can change considerably over relatively short distances.

A headline average for Norfolk tells you very little about what buyers will pay for a particular three-bedroom house on a particular road.

Good valuation advice should be local, current and supported by evidence.

3. Are they telling you what your home is worth, or what you want to hear?

The highest valuation isn’t automatically wrong.

Equally, it isn’t automatically the best advice.

There’s an obvious commercial incentive for an estate agent to tell a homeowner their property is worth more than another agent suggested.

Win the instruction first.

Discuss the price later.

The difficulty for the seller is that the first few weeks of marketing are valuable.

That’s when your listing is new, buyers notice it and you have the best opportunity to create early interest.

Starting substantially above where buyers see value can waste that opportunity.

So if one valuation is significantly higher than the others, don’t immediately reject it.

Just ask for the evidence.

A good agent won’t mind defending their advice.

4. What exactly is included in the estate agent’s fee?

Don’t compare percentages until you understand what you’re comparing.

Ask for the total fee including VAT.

Then ask what’s included.

Depending on the agent and service, that might include things such as:

• professional photography
• floorplans
• video or drone marketing
• property portals
• social media marketing
• database and buyer matching
• accompanied viewings
• negotiation
• sales progression

Also ask about additional charges.

Is there an upfront marketing cost?

A withdrawal fee?

An EPC charge?

Premium portal products?

Photography costs?

Anything payable if you decide not to sell?

A lower percentage isn’t necessarily cheaper if several other charges sit outside it.

Equally, a more expensive service isn’t automatically better.

Compare what you’re actually receiving and the outcome the agent is trying to achieve, not just the number before the percentage sign.

5. How long are you tied into the contract?

Estate agency agreements vary.

Before signing, find the section covering the minimum agency period and notice.

Then ask the agent to explain it in plain English.

If you sign today:

What is the earliest date you can leave without breaching the agreement?

That’s a much clearer question than simply asking whether there’s “a twelve-week contract”.

You also need to understand when notice can be served.

A minimum agency period plus a subsequent notice period can create a longer commitment than someone assumes from hearing the headline number.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with an agency period.

The important thing is knowing exactly what you’re agreeing to before you agree to it.

6. Is it sole agency or sole selling rights?

These phrases sound remarkably similar.

They can have different consequences.

With a sole agency agreement, broadly speaking, the appointed agent is normally entitled to their fee where they introduce the buyer, while the precise position if you independently find a buyer depends on the contractual terms.

Sole selling rights can go further and may make a fee payable during the relevant period even if you find the buyer yourself.

Don’t rely on the label alone.

Ask:

“If I find the buyer myself, would I still owe you a fee?”

Then make sure the answer matches the written agreement.

7. Could you eventually owe two estate agents a fee?

Potentially.

This becomes particularly important if you later change estate agents.

A buyer introduced to your property by Agent A might eventually return and purchase after you’ve instructed Agent B.

Depending on the contracts, circumstances and introductions involved, this can create a potential dual-fee issue.

Government guidance specifically warns sellers that using more than one estate agent can result in fees being payable to more than one agent depending on the contracts involved.

Before switching agents, establish exactly how previously introduced buyers will be treated.

Don’t wait until you’ve accepted an offer to ask.

8. Who will actually look after your sale?

The person sitting at your kitchen table isn’t necessarily the person you’ll speak to once you’ve signed.

Ask.

Who arranges the viewings?

Who conducts them?

Who gives you feedback?

Who negotiates offers?

Who reviews the marketing with you?

And once you’ve accepted an offer, who progresses the transaction?

Sales progression deserves particular attention.

Agreeing a sale is an important milestone, but it isn’t the end of the job.

There are solicitors, surveys, mortgages, searches, enquiries and often several other transactions in the chain to navigate before you reach completion.

Find out who will be responsible for helping keep that moving.

9. Are you being pressured to use their solicitor or mortgage broker?

Estate agents can recommend conveyancers, mortgage brokers, surveyors and other professionals.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with that.

A recommendation can be genuinely useful.

Agents may also receive a referral fee for introducing customers to another business. Government guidance says you should be told about referral fees, and you do not have to use the recommended company.

So ask two straightforward questions:

“Do you receive a referral fee?”

and

“Am I free to choose my own provider?”

The answer to the second question should be yes.

A recommendation should be exactly that.

A recommendation.

10. What happens if things don’t go according to plan?

Almost every estate agent can explain what they’ll do when your property launches and immediately receives several offers.

Ask what happens when it doesn’t.

What will they do if there are no enquiries?

When will they review the marketing?

How will they judge whether the issue is presentation, price or market conditions?

What happens if a sale falls through?

How frequently will you hear from them?

What happens if you’re unhappy?

The answers tell you far more about an agent than the polished valuation presentation.

Selling a property isn’t difficult when everything goes perfectly.

The quality of the service becomes much more apparent when it doesn’t.

What are the warning signs when choosing an estate agent?

None of these automatically proves you’ve found a bad agent, but we’d slow down if you encounter:

• pressure to sign immediately
• a dramatically higher valuation without supporting evidence
• vague answers about the total fee
• reluctance to let you read the agreement properly
• uncertainty about redress membership
• unclear tie-in or notice terms
• an inability to explain who will actually handle your sale
• pressure to use a particular solicitor or mortgage broker
• reluctance to disclose referral arrangements

You don’t need to sign an estate agency agreement while the agent is sitting in your home.

Read it.

Ask questions.

Sleep on it if you want to.

A professional agent shouldn’t become less appealing because you spent a day understanding the contract.

What about Client Money Protection?

You’ll sometimes see Client Money Protection, or CMP, mentioned when checking an estate agency.

It’s important to understand what it relates to.

In England, letting and property-management agents operating in the private rented sector who hold client money must belong to an approved Client Money Protection scheme.

That protects landlords and tenants if the agent cannot repay money they’re holding.

It is primarily a lettings and property-management protection, rather than one of the main checks a homeowner needs to make when choosing an agent solely to sell their property.

Location Location East does not currently provide lettings or property-management services, but it’s a useful distinction for landlords comparing agencies that do.

Why independent standards matter to us

There is an unavoidable difficulty with articles like this.

We’re an estate agent telling you how to check an estate agent.

So don’t simply take our word for it.

Check us too.

Ask us for the evidence behind our valuation.

Ask us about our agreement.

Ask what you’ll pay.

Ask what our marketing includes.

Ask who will conduct your viewings.

Ask who will negotiate your offer and progress the sale.

And ask what happens if you’re unhappy.

We believe transparency is considerably more meaningful when customers can test it.

That’s also one of the reasons Location Location East became a founding member of the Ethical Agent Network.

EAN membership goes beyond simply meeting the legal minimum. Members are independently assessed against standards relating to areas including honesty, service and the way customers are treated.

For us, that external accountability matters.

But it doesn’t replace your own research.

We’d still encourage you to make exactly the same checks on us that we’re suggesting you make on everybody else.

Choosing an estate agent in Thetford, Norfolk or Suffolk?

Don’t make the decision purely on who charges the lowest fee.

Don’t make it purely on who quotes the highest valuation either.

Instead, compare:

Evidence. Marketing. Communication. Contract. Negotiation. Sales progression. And trust.

Location Location East works with homeowners across Thetford, The Brecks and the wider Norfolk and Suffolk area, and we’re always happy to explain how our approach differs before you decide whether we’re the right agent for you.

A good estate agent shouldn’t be frightened of questions.

They should welcome them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose a good estate agent?

Compare more than valuations and fees. Look at recent local results, marketing quality, communication, viewing arrangements, negotiation, sales progression, contract terms and independent redress membership. Ask each agent to explain exactly how they intend to achieve the best result for your particular property.

What should I ask an estate agent before selling my house?

Ask how they calculated the valuation, what their fee includes, whether VAT is included, how long you’re tied into the agreement, how notice works, who conducts viewings, who progresses the sale and whether there are any additional charges or referral fees.

Do estate agents have to belong to an Ombudsman or redress scheme?

Residential estate agents must belong to a Government-approved redress scheme. The currently approved schemes are The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme. This gives consumers an independent route for eligible unresolved complaints.

Should I choose the estate agent who gives me the highest valuation?

Not automatically. Ask for comparable evidence supporting each valuation. A higher figure can be correct, but an unsupported asking price doesn’t put more money in your pocket. What ultimately matters is what a proceedable buyer is prepared and able to pay.

Should I choose the cheapest estate agent?

Fee matters, but it should be considered alongside the service and likely outcome. Compare what’s included, marketing, viewing arrangements, negotiation, sales progression and any additional charges before deciding which represents the best value.

What’s the difference between sole agency and sole selling rights?

They are different contractual arrangements. Sole selling rights can potentially make a fee payable even where you find the buyer yourself during the relevant period. With any agreement, read the precise contractual wording and ask the agent to explain when their fee becomes payable before signing.

How long should an estate agent tie-in period be?

There isn’t one universally correct period. What’s important is understanding the minimum term, when notice can be served and the earliest date you could leave the agreement. Ask the agent to give you that date before you sign.

Can I change estate agents if I’m unhappy?

Usually, but you must comply with the contract you’ve signed. Check the minimum agency period, notice requirements and provisions relating to buyers already introduced before instructing another agent.

Can I end up paying two estate agents?

Potentially. This can arise where more than one agent claims entitlement to a fee, particularly after an agency change involving a previously introduced buyer. Clarify the position with both agents before signing a replacement agreement.

Do I have to use the solicitor recommended by my estate agent?

No. An estate agent can recommend a solicitor, conveyancer, mortgage broker or other professional, but you’re free to choose your own. If the agent receives a referral fee from a recommended provider, that arrangement should be disclosed.

How do I find the best estate agent in Thetford?

Don’t rely solely on online ratings or the highest valuation. Look for evidence of recent results in the local market, quality of marketing, communication, negotiation, sales progression and clear contract terms. The best estate agent for your Thetford property should also be able to explain how its particular location, buyer profile and competition affect the recommended selling strategy.

What should I look for when choosing an estate agent in Norfolk or Suffolk?

Local knowledge should be specific rather than generic. An agent should understand the market surrounding your particular property, likely buyer profile, competing homes and recent sales. The property markets across Norfolk and Suffolk vary significantly, so evidence relevant to your town, village and property type matters more than broad county averages.

About the Ethical Agent Network

Location Location East is proud to be a founding member of the Ethical Agent Network, a national network of independent estate agents committed to higher standards of honesty, service and accountability.

Membership is independently assessed rather than simply purchased, giving consumers another useful signal when deciding who to trust with their move.

It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask questions.

Quite the opposite.

We believe a good estate agent should be comfortable being held accountable for the advice and service they provide.

Sources

UK Government guidance confirms that residential estate agents must belong to an approved redress scheme and currently identifies The Property Ombudsman Limited and Property Redress Scheme as the approved schemes.

UK Government guidance for home sellers explains the importance of checking an estate agency contract, including fees and dual-fee risks, and confirms that sellers don’t have to use professionals recommended by their estate agent.

UK Government guidance confirms that letting and property-management agents in England who hold client money must belong to an approved Client Money Protection scheme and display their membership certificate in public-facing offices and on their website.

Article by Andrew Overman | Partner | Location Location East