Estate Agents- How do they justify their huge fees. The blog for www.self-sale.com

Whilst others close- we grow

2008-09-08T13:58:00.002+01:00

Estate agents nationwide are feeling the pinch and many are failing. The high street agency model just isn't sustainable any more and many established, previously successful companies are now closed or closing.

Those who are staying are cutting marketing budgets and even coming off rightmove! Clearly not thinking about how they are going to sell their properties.

We at self-sale.com are continuing to market on the busiest and best portals and even adding new properties every week.

This is our latest addition- http://www.self-sale.com/buy/listings/10

We are the future and will continue to give our vendors the best possible service even during this difficult period.

NAEA to launch a free property portal as rightmove feels the heat

2008-08-19T08:50:00.002+01:00

The National Association of Estate Agents are to launch its own property portal free to its members. This is a further blow to rightmove as its shares dipped by a further 9% yesterday, already coming under pressure from globrix and some bad PR disasters.

self-sale.com will continue to utilise the best portals out there to give our properties the best chance to sell.

The message is getting out there as we welcomed another listing to our books which can be found at:

http://www.self-sale.com/buy/listings/9

There's more to come so watch this space.

Estate Agents increase fees to boost income!

2008-07-30T11:46:00.002+01:00

Estate Agents are admitting to raising their fees to boost their income whilst home owners are struggling to hang onto their equity as property prices fall.

The average home has dropped in price by £7800 since last summer and some agents are increasing their commission to 2.5%

During this downturn in the market home owners need to look closely at the cost of selling their property and a large part of it is their estate agents fee. At self-sale.com we offer a full service for just £249.99 plus 0.3 % upon completion.

During this difficult period you need to look after yourselves and save thousands selling your property.

Come and join us at www.self-sale.com

As buyers suffer, be innovative to stand out

2008-06-30T11:14:00.003+01:00

The number of new mortgages being approved for house purchase in Britain has dropped heavily for another month.

The Bank of England said 42,000 homes were approved in May, a 28% fall compared with the previous month and 64% down on a year ago.

Buyers are becoming even more squeezed with less,more expensive mortgage products to buy. Sellers need to adapt to how the ever decreasing buying population are looking for their next property. With the majority using the internet as their number 1 search tool, sellers need to partner with agents with a strong and professional internet presence.

Sellers who use self-sale.com see an improvement in buyer activity straight away as there property is available to see where buyers are searching.

House prices down by 9%- you need self-sale.com

2008-06-22T15:49:00.003+01:00

HBOS, the UK's biggest mortgage lender, has forecast that UK house prices are set to fall by 9% this year.

More doom and gloom on the house market has left people wondering how they're going to keep their equity. Well these people below have done something about it by listing on self-sale.com

Online spending booms despite economic gloom.

2008-06-03T11:30:00.002+01:00

The amount of money spent on the internet last year grew by 35% to £14.7 billion last year.

The growth is about ten times that of the UK retail market as a whole.

Consumer habits are changing for the good and this includes when it comes to buying and selling houses. The majority of people search online for properties and sellers are using online companies to sell their homes, as they are able to offer them a service more suitable for todays buyers habits.

globrix already bigger than Primelocation, Findaproperty etc.

2008-05-22T10:24:00.000+01:00

Globrix, the marketing partner of www.self-sale.com has already got more listing than more established portals such as Primelocation.

Consolidation has already occurred in this competitive industry but rest assured that self-sale.com will continue to use the busiest and best portals to give our clients the best exposure.

Branch Network- you must be joking

2008-05-21T09:00:00.000+01:00

Spicerhaart's decision to partner with Tescos with an online estate agency is the first indication that traditional high street estate agents are beginning to panic.

Consumers are far more aware of the alternatives there are of selling their houses and are starting to ask awkward questions about high street estate agents justifying their large fees.

They will have to go along way to match the quality of self-sale.com and any further entries in the online estate agency sector is further endorsement of what's to come.

House prices falling-save your equity

2008-05-16T10:28:00.000+01:00

The governments most positive forecasts see house prices fall by at least 10% this year. It's time to look at your selling costs to keep hold of as much of that equity as you can.

The largest selling cost for most people is the estate agency fee. Wouldn't it be great to be able to claw back thousands on this so you can still cope with the reduction of the housing market and keep hold of your equity, and still enjoy a complete estate agency service. Well www.self-sale.com are able to offer such a service. In these difficult times there is no better selling partner.

But there must be other things we can do:

What ideas do you have to reduce the other selling costs?
What experiences have you had that could help others?
What type of services do you think there should be to help everyone during this difficult period?

Together we can help each other during this difficult period.

2007-12-28T10:48:00.000Z

My friend put his house on the market last year for £300,000 and sold it through a traditional high street estate agent and was charged a 2% fee. His house was in a prime location, and in great condition and really sold itself.

How can the estate agent justify a £6000 fee for selling a well sought after house during a period of high demand where there is a serious shortage of supply?

What did they do?

What value did they put into it and does it justify the fee?

For too long traditional high street estate agencies have had it too good.

The lack of supply in the housing market is set to last for decades and with the development the internet there are alternatives.

Join the debate...

What are your previous experiences with estate agents?

Are their fees justified?

Do you think that their days are numbered?

What do you think of alternatives such as www.self-sale.com who charge a fair fee for the work that they've done?