Online Estate Agents? (1 Viewer)

[Yorick]

Just been looking at these and have been recommended tepilo.com. Never heard of them but the blurb seems OK.

They charge about £800 which needs paying up front. Once they have your money, they can just sit on their arse. But they're a few grand less than conventional estate agents.

On the other hand, conventional estate agents have local knowledge and can offer an office near the property and a more personal touch. But they are all shysters.

Anybody have any experience of tepilo.com or any other online ones? Any horror stories?


Thanks in advance

 

[davanne]

Tried an online estate agent last year they were a complete and utter waste of space from start to finish......wouldn't go down that route again.

 

[Spidey]

I noticed in our village someone had a purple bricks sign up. We are selling in a few yers and i will approach online ones first. Most people look at the big search sites like rightmove etc. Of which purple bricks advertise. I have no experience if them but its another name to look at.

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[34127]

Just been looking at these and have been recommended tepilo.com. Never heard of them but the blurb seems OK.

They charge about £800 which needs paying up front. Once they have your money, they can just sit on their arse. But they're a few grand less than conventional estate agents.

On the other hand, conventional estate agents have local knowledge and can offer an office near the property and a more personal touch. But they are all shysters.

Anybody have any experience of tepilo.com or any other online ones? Any horror stories?


Thanks in advance

So when they get their money up front, what is their incentive to sell the property. I would prefer to pay more for someone who has to get a buyer before they get paid, at least you know they will be trying.

 

[Larrynwin]

Tepilo is the company owned by Sarah Beeny, one of the
TV "property experts " .
Only been going for around two years so be careful.
Last year we used another online agency, House Revolution with an office in Norwich .
An excellent service with different payment options. In the end we withdrew from the market as we are now staying put and it cost us nothing.

 

[gus-lopez]

I saw a lot of the https://www.purplebricks.com/

mentioned by @Spidey selling in Essex last year.

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[tonka]

Passed all the local estate agents office today... They must be feeling some effect from it..
one had a sign, first 30 customers who sign up fixed cost of £895....

Most people now I think look at the web first and from online pics you maybe a decision at home rather than having anything off an agent.. We bought our current house off the owners, they just put up a for sale sign and made a simple website with pictures, that was back in 2003 so thing have moved on a lot since then.

 

[Cavs]

Two years ago we had to sell two houses previously owned by parents. We used a very professional agent that proved his value when it came to vetting potential buyers for viability (have they got funds arranged, etc.) then chasing buyers, lawyers, other agents, etc. This was a small chain, high street agent that at our local branch employed at least one person whose sole role was progress chasing. This agent was worth its fee just for this service. Not sure you'd get that from an on-line marketer.

 

[treetops1]

I would not pay up front .My brother is selling his and does not pay until sold with an online company .I think he said it was about £800 .Sadly i have no more detail.

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[Madeinengland]

I'll watch this thread with interest as we'll probably be selling in the near future and my plans were also to try the on line route. I already have lots of pictures and wonder if my own write up might be better as you 'know' the house better than an estate agent.

 

[Larrynwin]

I'll watch this thread with interest as we'll probably be selling in the near future and my plans were also to try the on line route. I already have lots of pictures and wonder if my own write up might be better as you 'know' the house better than an estate agent.

House Revolution let you provide pictures floor plans and influence description on websites.
Well worth a look as you are in Norfolk, their office is in Unthank Road, Norwich.

 

[Madeinengland]

Thanks that's great, I'll take a look. sounds ideal

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[Larby]

I'll watch this thread with interest as we'll probably be selling in the near future and my plans were also to try the on line route. I already have lots of pictures and wonder if my own write up might be better as you 'know' the house better than an estate agent.

Agent terminology
Cosy-small
Manageable garden=small
Wooded outlook-overlooks timber yard
Character-dry rot
Well maintained-quick paint job to sell
Adequate parking - for a bike
All round view- located on a roundabout
Recently modernised- in 1955
Three bedrooms- one of which can take a bed if it's upright!
Conservatory- plastic roof lean-to.

 

[Allan & Loren]

We've a few houses near us selling via online agents and a couple have sold. We've probably got more using the traditional estate agents method though. There is a vast difference in the fees you pay but at least with a local agent you can kick their arse if nothing's happening and make them work for their money, you will also be able to get feedback from viewers as they are more likely to tell the agent as an impartial person than they would the seller and this feedback can help if you find your house isn't selling. My nephew is selling and for the first 6 weeks was inundated with viewers and they had a few people that told them the house was exactly what they were looking for,and would be putting an offer to,the agent the next day. When Gregor rang the agent the following day the feedback was anything but an offer "it was too small". "Not in the right location". Etc

 

[Stealaway]

After having a local Estate around and discussing value and fees (1% - approx £2500) I thought I would look at self advertising.
I found you cannot advertise on Zoopla or Rightmoves unless you are an estate agent.
I contacted House Simple and I must say I have been impressed.

https://www.housesimple.com/

They sent a couple (man & wife) around to take stacks of photos while his wife measured up for the floor plan.
The fees are about a £950 if you might change your mind - and don't sell FOC. About £450 if you are determined to sell but there is no return if you change your mind.

The self administered site is now up and running although its not yet live, it looks good already. For various reasons we have postponed it for a month or two and I still have to do the write up.
I might have to take some tips from Larby!

Agent terminology
Cosy-small
Manageable garden=small
Wooded outlook-overlooks timber yard
Character-dry rot
Well maintained-quick paint job to sell
Adequate parking - for a bike
All round view- located on a roundabout
Recently modernised- in 1955
Three bedrooms- one of which can take a bed if it's upright!
Conservatory- plastic roof lean-to.

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[Deleted member 29692]

Most people look at the big search sites like rightmove etc.

Pretty much every estate agent uses Right Move. It's becoming an industry standard.

 

[Spanishsteve]

I recently looked at online estate agents to sell my house in surrey and was seriously looking at Purple Bricks. On this website I saw a previous thread discussing online agents and the pros and cons. One person suggested looking at reviews which I did.
If I recall, Purple Bricks charge up front, however you can pay after sale but have to use their conveyancing services, which did not appear to be very good.
A lot of the reviews of PB said the initial contact and valuation were good but aftercare was dire, also apparently buyers have to register with PB online to get viewings which might put people off.
Because of this I decided to stick with a local agent, the difference being £8k not £800, however the agent has been very good with 6 viewings and 3 offers. I have been kept up to date, the agent is checking out the buyer thoroughly and their mortgage application and I am happy.
Even between agents the charges varied wildly, one wanted £15k which I thought was eye wincingly expensive.
I think I have done the right thing by getting a local agent, so far it has been relatively stress free and I have not had to chase them, they know the local property scene.
Again there will be regional variances around the UK, in the South east it is very buoyant at the moment.
My advice would be to look at Trust Pilot and other reviews for both online and local agents.

 

[Charlie]

Friend just sold his bungalow in 3 days with an online agent. Cost £700 inc VAT. Same property if sold through a high street agent would be 3600 quid...

Property in our area is selling very very fast which of course helps !

The service with an online cannot be as good and you have to do the viewings yourself most of the time but it's quite a price difference !

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[scousebird]

But they are all shysters.

No we're not!

 

[SteveandSue]

We used House Network - online estate agents - several years ago - paid up front- good to deal with -
It was just as online estate agents were starting up and we didn't sell through them - but we would use online estate agents again- depends on property - location - if you want to do the viewings etc etc I think
Rightmove is the main search for property so as long as they get your property on there you should be OK
Perhaps one of the advantages of traditional estate agents is if there are problems during the sale and negotiations -
they can sometimes help to sort things out - But - they are expensive for what they do

 

[32143]

Haven't used one to sell, but the property we were buying in York until our chain collapsed was an online agent.
At first no difference to a local agent from our point of view as we found it via Rightmove and phoned to book a viewing.
Viewing was with the owner and he gave us a very comprehensive tour and copy of his spec, the online agent didn't do these so he had to make and print his own.
We wanted to buy so made offer via agent, all good except one small stumbling block.
Due to the owner not fully understanding the vetting process, the agent requested we supply proof of mortgage. No problem gave them details of our mortgage lady at TSB.
This was Friday, they phoned her, she confirmed we were good to go had funding.
We went into TSB on Tue morning after bank holiday Mon. Did the actual application for said property, which went through, confirmed no problem, paid our survey money. She then again rang the online agent to update to be told our client requires a copy of the Mortgage promise. Ok I can fax you one, nope don't have a fax, ok will pop hard copy in the post.
Few hours later she rang us, the seller was not going to remove property from market until online agent had the mortgage promise. He was going ahead with another viewing next morning at 9am.
Now because we had his phone number we called him direct to find out what he was playing at. The guy did not understand the we were actually way past a Mortgage promise ( which is a bit of paper saying you have a mortgage offer in principle for x amount of money) and had an actual confirmed Mortgage approval on the property which our lady at TSB had confirmed to his agent, she was happy to email such confirmation too, but no he was stuck on the promise thing, tried to explain we were steps ahead was like banging my head against a brick wall. He actually quite upset me as it was so frustrating. I ended up saying to him this was the one big difference him using an online agent, they simply took instruction from him to the letter and because he wanted a bit if paper that had been surpassed system at their end wouldn't continue.
He relented in the end, which became academic as the chain further back broke. But had it not I don't think this would have been the last problem.
I wouldn't now go back to this property if we do sort out our chain.

Lin

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[Jim]

Seems to me, that a traditional estate agent, does the same as the online ones. Places it on rightmove (or equivalent) and then does - nothing.

 

[DavidG58]

If you are still abroad and would need accompanied visits, I would go with the local estate agent if I were you, probably worth the extra in the end and you can offset to extra cost against capital gains tax if that applies

 

[Cavs]

Seems to me, that a traditional estate agent, does the same as the online ones. Places it on rightmove (or equivalent) and then does - nothing.

Well, not in our case - see my earlier post #8. I suppose it depends how you choose the agent. In our cases, acting as executors, we interviewed three agents at the property, assessed how they would market it, and interrogated them about how they would provide value for money, etc. then negotiated the charge. We chose the three to interview by the quality of what they had already advertised on line and elsewhere. The chosen agent arranged a viewing day, where all realistic potential buyers were escorted on the same day, then managed the offers and continued to chase progress. I think we got value for money.

PS The agent was Ashtons in St Albans, which I thoroughly recommend.

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[32143]

T

Seems to me, that a traditional estate agent, does the same as the online ones. Places it on rightmove (or equivalent) and then does - nothing.

They do a lot in background once offer in such as talking to solicitor and mortgage people if a seller lacks understanding of the legal process there is no buffer with the online.
That said in a good market in a fast paced city I would use them to sell, but I understand the legal process better than a lot of solicitors.
Would save at least 1k in fees, but no use in a slow paced area like Scarborough

 

[Charlie]

It's never going to be quite as easy when purchasing through an online agent. It can't be as they are after all providing a service to the seller at a fraction of the cost .

It's reasonably easy to see that from a buyers point of view it can be a bit harder but if selling its quite a large saving so in some ways it's the seller who is the benificiary .

I much prefer to deal with a local agent. At least they work hard to get deals set up and make them happen cos if they don't they get no pay. But 5 or 6 K on the average house is quite a payday.

Houses here really are moving fast so often the work they put in can be minimal.

The horror stories we hear and see so often does not make all agents or vendors or purchasers bad. But over the years I have encountered the best and worst and it's no wonder so much stress happens.

 

[Yorick]

Thanks all

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[Barney23]

Seems to me, that a traditional estate agent, does the same as the online ones. Places it on rightmove (or equivalent) and then does - nothing.

We must be doing something wrong then, please could you offer us some advice with the running of our business which we seem to work very hard in, we must have been doing it wrong for the past fifteen years.

 

[31791]

What I don't understand with high street agents is why it is commission based. Do they do any extra work for a £700k house compares to a £300k house. One agent justified this by saying it takes longer to show someone round a bigger house. That would be £4k longer at 1% commission?
Another justification for commission is that they will go for a higher price but if they get an extra £10k on the house price the agent gets another £100. I suspect they wouldn't care less about £100.
It's like most professions there are good and bad people in it, though agents do the job for the money rather than a vocation so attracts more of the bad people.

Barney, I don't know you and you may be a very good hard working agent, but having your avatar doesn't make you look like someone that I feel is hard done by.

 

[Charlie]

Being an estate agent must be very stressful unless the individuals ate extremely thick skinned. I have to be honest its not a job I would like.

I have met one or two that are complete and utter bar stards ... And a few who are straight honest above board and hard working.

It is just simply unfair to paint them all with the same brush.

To sum up... If I was selling in a fast moving market where property is selling its self like it has been here for a while (It is slowing) then I would use an online agent and save some serious money .. If in a slow market with fewer buyers I would use a high street agent and ensure they were earning their money ! From a Buyers point of view buying through an on line agent is a bloody joke ! PB simply do not answer the phone and rely almost entirely on flaming Emails which are to an old git like me still a bit alien at best and a right royal pain at worst !

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