Estate agent commission

[User169]

Any one know what the going rate for estate agents commission is these days? Obviously, it's negotiable, but I'd like to know what I should be aiming for. The house is in London (Hackney) - not sure if that makes any difference or not.

 

[mark barker]

Around here a lot of the agents are using a fixed price (normally around £1k), but I guess thats because the market here in Swindon has pretty much died.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Fortunately haven't had to deal with an estate agent for five years, last time we did we used an independent and they charged 1%. I think you can get 1/2% these days.

 

[ianrauk]

The last few times we paid between 1-2%

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Yes you can, don't know if they're any good mind...

http://www.halfapercent.com/

 

[dellzeqq]

if I may, DP, I'd suggest that the percentage of commission is nigh on an irrelevance. The question is - are they going to sell the house? And for how much? We used the doubledealing horrors known as Foxtons to sell our last house and paid 3% - but the thing is that they sold it for more than the other people said we would get. I'd never go to Foxtons to buy a place, though

Give Andrew at Felicity J Lord on Mare Street a ring. I trawled around the Hackney agents last year and he seemed to be the smartest and the most realistic. http://www.fjlord.co.uk/property-hackney.aspx I'd have thought they would charge 2%

 

[ventoux50]

Got ours on the market at the moment, the estate agent came out and we agreed his standard rate of 1%.

two weeks later he was offering a 1/2 % 'promotion'

Bugger !

 

[User169]

if I may, DP, I'd suggest that the percentage of commission is nigh on an irrelevance. The question is - are they going to sell the house? And for how much? We used the doubledealing horrors known as Foxtons to sell our last house and paid 3% - but the thing is that they sold it for more than the other people said we would get. I'd never go to Foxtons to buy a place, though

Give Andrew at Felicity J Lord on Mare Street a ring. I trawled around the Hackney agents last year and he seemed to be the smartest and the most realistic. http://www.fjlord.co...ty-hackney.aspx I'd have thought they would charge 2%

Thanks DZ, sensible stuff. We bought the house via FJ Lord and I thought they were a shower at the time; perhaps worth another look though. We were planning to use Keatons - because the house is rented through them, they're offering a "discounted" 1.8%.

 

[dellzeqq]

Thanks DZ, sensible stuff. We bought the house via FJ Lord and I thought they were a shower at the time; perhaps worth another look though. We were planning to use Keatons - because the house is rented through them, they're offering a "discounted" 1.8%.

ah-ha! FJL are renting mine out, so I'll be looking for a discount.

Whoever you use I'd be grateful for your estimation of them.

 

[Over The Hill]

1% or around £2,000 plus vat seems to be generally the keener end of pricing around here.
I would say look around to see which agents promote houses well. Then drop them all an email for a price. Then phone them up to say x has offered lower.

10 years ago they were on 3% and I often sent out cheques for £8,000 to the agents. Now they are not spending so much on newspaper ads and marketing is easier and cheaper now so they can afford to cut the fee down.
You get a better deal be offering them an exclusive agency which is fine if you have confidence in them.