The secrets of bagging the right seller for your home

1. Manage your expectations

The property market is currently subdued so don’t be impressed by high valuations from agents who just want your business. About 70 per cent of properties now are sold by the second agent chosen to sell the property, usually because they have given it a more realistic valuation.

2. Get personal recommendations

High street estate agents vary widely, so find out who friends and neighbours recommend. Make sure you get an agent who will really sell your property, not just market it.

3. Ask for proof

When interviewing potential agents, ask how many properties they have actually sold in the past year.

4. Look for matches

If you’re interested in an online agent, check to see what kind of properties they have sold in the past year or so. Have they sold many like yours, in your area?

5. Sell it to them!

Martin Roberts from TV’s Homes Under the Hammer makes the point that you should think of the estate agent as a potential buyer and point out all the great features of the house and the area that you know. If they’re sold on it then they’re more likely to sell it well to their clients.

6. Consider a specialist

If there are some complications with your property – say, issues with the lease, planning permission, or it’s just quite unusual – then you’re likely to need a local agent who will help you through the process. Not all of them will do this properly – standards vary widely from agency to agency – but see who your friends recommend as helpful.

7. Think about joint agents

If you have a property that could appeal to different markets – for example, it might be attractive to local families but could also be picked up by city dwellers as a weekend cottage – then you should go for joint agents where a local agent brings in families and a big national one would market the property to a wider audience. The agents then split the fee on sale.

8. Manage multiple agents

Unlike joint agents, if you have multiple agents competing with each other, they might work harder to beat off the competition, but they might also put less effort in because there’s less chance of them getting paid. It’s only worth using multiple agents if they work with a different set of clients.

9. Negotiate the fee

One handy aspect of the online agents is that you can use their prices to negotiate better rates with your local agent. Be careful, though. If you negotiate them down too hard they won’t put your property on the top of their list for new buyers.

10. Do it yourself – if you think you’re hard enough!

There’s nothing to stop you putting a ‘For Sale’ sign outside your home and maybe putting it on websites such as Gumtree or even eBay. However, don’t think it’s going to be easy. ‘I’ve never come across someone selling their own home who I didn’t think belonged to a lunatic asylum,’ says property finder Henry Pryor. Buying and selling a house is up there with divorce and bereavement for stress levels, and in today’s market you need all the help you can get.