Thanks to the rise of online of estate agents, such as Purplebricks & Yopa, privately selling your house on the biggest UK property portals has never been easier… or cheaper, and that’s precisely why they have become incredibly popular among UK home-sellers!
Online agents allow homeowners to advertise their property on Rightmove & Zoopla without a traditional high-street estate agent, which means we can potentially save £1000’s on agency fees.
Bottom line, selling your house privately can cost peanuts! Here’s a complete guide on how to get started…
Quick fact: The average ‘traditional’ high-street estate agent fee for selling a property in the UK is £4200. Online agents charge an average of £500, and as little as FREE (no strings attached! It’s not a gimmick)!
Okay, so, if you’re keen on the idea of selling your home effectively without having to absorb the extortionate Estate Agent fees that we’ve all grown to fear and despair, then you’re probably in the right place!
More and more home-sellers across the nation (including England, Scotland and Wales) are ditching traditional high-street Estate Agents to sell their home because it’s become so damn easy and cheap for to privately market properties on the biggest UK property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla via Online Estate Agents… for a one-off fixed fee. No hidden fees, or a pricing structure based on a percentage of the sale price (which can add up to a small fortune), unlike the high-street agents.
The truth is, most high-street estate agents use websites like Rightmove, Zoopla, and PrimeLocation to market their stock, and that’s where the majority generate their leads from (the reality is, if you want to sell your house privately with the best possible chance of succeeding, then you need to list your house on those portals, particularly Rightmove & Zoopla). So why not just bypass high-street estate agents and advertise on Rightmove and the alike by using an Online Estate Agent and handle all the enquiries yourself, for a fraction of the cost?
High-street agents charge a whopping 1-3% + VAT commission (approximately) of the selling price. That’s A LOT of money. The online agents listed below charge a fixed rate which doesn’t even come close to high-street agent fees. Why are high-street agents much more expensive? Well, because high-street agents have a load more overheads to cover e.g. premises, utility bills, cars..etc. Online simply have an online presence, but don’t worry, they have real people as staff and a fully accessible customer support team ready to assist.
Online Estate Agents that will advertise your house ‘for sale’ on the most popular UK property portals like Rightmove & Zoopla:
Please note, the prices shown have exclusive discount codes applied where available.
Use the search filters to select which services you require from your online agent. The total prices will automatically adjust and order the agents based on the most competitive price for the overall package (i.e. including the add-on products you require).
Each agent listed is hand-picked and highly rated.
Search Filters
Require any of the following?
Rightmove listing
Rightmove listing
X
EPC
EPC An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is needed when a property sold in the UK. They are valid for 10 years, so if you already have a valid one you do not to order another.
X
Photograghs
Photograghs The agent will arrange for a photographer to visit your property to take pictures, which can be used with your adverts. Good quality photos are important in making your property look attractive and can increase enquiries.
X
Floorplan
Floorplan The agent will arrange for a professionally produced floorplan showing the layout and room sizes of your property. Many buyers find floorplans useful when viewing property details online.
X
Negotiation
Negotiation The agent will help to negotiate with potential buyers on your behalf. If you are confident in negotiating then you may not need this service.
X
For sale sign
For sale sign The agent will arrange for a 'For Sale' sign to be placed outside your property to attract passer-buyers.
X
In-person valuation
In-person valuation The agent will arrange for a local expert to visit your property to conduct a proper valuation. Please note, some agents offer "free, no obligation valuations"
X
Hosted viewings
Hosted viewings A local agent will take viewings and show potential buyers around your property. Please note, some agents limit how many viewings they will take, so please read the T&C's carefully.
X
No sale, no fee
No sale, no fee If the agent doesn't sell your home, you don't pay their fee. (T&C's may apply, so please read carefully).
X
Estate AgentRatingDurationIncludes / NotesPrice Strike (formerly Housesimple) Top Pick Rating 4.7 TrustPilot Reviews Duration 6 months Includes / Notes
No fee package
6 months marketing on Rightmove, Zoopla + more
Rightmove listing
Photograghs
Floorplan
Negotiation
For sale sign
In-person valuation
No sale, no fee
13 weeks Sole Agency contract
*YES, Strike will give you a 100% free service, no strings attached.
The catch is: Strike currently only sells properties in England, and in two forms. They provide a "hybrid" service (i.e. which includes an in-person valuation by a local agent) for properties in the Midlands, North West & Yorkshire etc. Specifically, the following postcodes: B1 - 50, B6 - 99, BB, BD, BL, CA, CH1- 4, CH25 - 34, CH41 - 49, CH60 - 66, CH70, CH88, CH99, CV, CW, DE, DG, DH, DL, DN, DY, FY, GL1 - 20, GL50 - 56, HD, HG, HR, HU, HX, IM, L, LA, LE1-19, LE21, LE41, LE55, LE65 - 67, LE87, LE94 - 95, LN, LS, M, NE, NG1 - 25, NG31 - 34, NG80, NG90, OL, PE10 - 12, PE20 - 25, PR, S, SK, SR, ST1 - 21, ST55, SY, TD, TF, TS, WA, WF, WN, WR, WS, WV, YO.
For the rest of England, they provide a "virtual" service, which includes everything listed, but instead of an in-person valuation, you will receive a digital valuation report (presumably compiled by current and historical house price data). Price*FreeInc VAT
Free Visit WebsiteBook Free In-Person Valuation Door Steps Rating 4.8 TrustPilot Reviews Duration Until Sold Includes / Notes
Standard package
Until Sold marketing on Rightmove, Zoopla + more
Rightmove listing
Negotiation Price £94Inc VAT Normal price: £99
Discount available Visit Website5% Discount Code: PIP5 I Am The Agent Rating 4.8 TrustPilot Reviews Duration 12 Months Includes / Notes
IATA Essential package
12 Months marketing on Rightmove, Zoopla + more
Rightmove listing
EPC
Photograghs
Floorplan
For sale sign
In-person valuation
*You need to choose between Professional Photography/Floorplan or EPC. Alternatively, pay extra for the other: £119 for Photos, £65 for EPC. Price* £404.1Inc VAT Normal price: £449
Discount available Visit Website10% Discount Code: propinv21 Visum Rating 4.7 TrustPilot Reviews Duration 6 months Includes / Notes
Premium package
6 months marketing on Rightmove, Zoopla + more
Rightmove listing
Rightmove Premium listing
EPC
Photograghs
Floorplan
For sale sign Price £484Inc VAT Normal price: £499
Discount available Visit Website£15 Discount Code: PIP1 esale Rating 4.8 TrustPilot Reviews Duration 12 months Includes / Notes
Pay Upfront package
12 months marketing on Rightmove, OnTheMarket + more
Rightmove listing
Rightmove Premium listing
Photograghs
Floorplan
30 day money-back guarantee
* Add Rightmove premium listing to your cart then apply discount code during checkout. Price £595Inc VAT Normal price: £625
Promo available Visit Website*Free Rightmove Premium Listing with code: PREMIUM2020 Yopa Rating 4.6 TrustPilot Reviews Duration 12 Months Includes / Notes
Pay Now Core package
12 Months marketing on Rightmove, Zoopla + more
Rightmove listing
Photograghs
Floorplan
Negotiation
For sale sign
In-person valuation
*Selling fee of £1,499 in a few specific London postcodes. Price* £999Inc VAT Visit WebsiteBook Free In-Person Valuation
Please note, I try my best to keep the information of each agent up-to-date, but you should read the T&C’s from the agents’ website for the most up-to-date information.
Honourable mention [it’s FREE]…ServiceRatingNotes / IncludesPrice Property Portal
Rating 4.5 Reviews.co.uk Notes
TheHouseShop.com is... interesting! They're NOT an online agent (like those listed above). The best and probably easiest way to describe them is to compare them to the likes of Rightmove & Zoopla- all three are UK property portals that advertise properties for sale, available for punters to scour through.
Obviously, TheHouseShop is no way near as gigantic as Rightmove or Zoopla (not many websites are), but they still attract millions of eyeballs, which means they're more than capable of generating leads (which many sellers have attested to)! But the best part is... it's 100% FREE to list your property on there. More crucially, TheHouseShop allows private individual sellers to directly market their property on their website, unlike Rightmove and Zoopla, who both strictly deal directly with estate agents only (i.e. you have to go through an agent to get listed on Rightmove, otherwise no chance).
Disclaimer: I personally wouldn't solely rely on using TheHouseShop to sell your property - they probably don't have enough fire-power to create an effective campaign - so I recommend getting a property listed on an online agent (that will get your property onto Rightmove) and then also getting it onto TheHouseShop to maximise exposure! Boom!
As far as I'm concerned, using them is a no-brainer... it's FREE, so you have nothing to lose. Price Free Visit Website
Other Useful Services
Since keeping costs down is the name of the game, it’s important to remain savvy throughout the process of selling your home. Get quotes for every service you may need, because prices drastically vary, including the following…
Why use an Online Estate Agent & Rightmove?
Besides from the obvious benefit of saving massive amounts of money when compared to the traditional route, the reason why online agents are becoming increasing popular is because they operate how society now operates i.e. research and buying online worries fewer and fewer people as every day goes by.
While marketing on Rightmove & Zoopla to sell a home independently may seem alien to some, it’s actually becoming the “norm” to more people every day. However, that said, I believe there’s always going to be a need for the traditional high-street agent, because ultimately, I do believe both online and high agents offer two different services for two different types of sellers.
So that raises the question, should YOU use an online estate agent to sell your house? It’s a question I have addressed in detail already (in the article I just linked to), so in order to refrain from repeating myself, here’s an overly simplistic answer: online agents are for those that don’t mind doing some of the leg-work that agents have notoriously handled (e.g. managing and handling the viewings) in exchange for a significantly cheaper process. While high-street agents are better suited for those that would rather pay a premium for someone else to manage the entire process. That’s the difference in it’s raw form.
So really, can you be bothered to do work in order to save money? If so, you could be onto a winner with this whole online agent malarkey.
Highstreet Vs Online Estate Agent Fee comparison calculator
Ok, so you want real numbers! You want to know exactly how much you can save by using an online agent, because money talks! No probs, I’m with you.
Use the calculator below to find out how much you can save by using an online estate agent…
What’s your property worth?
Update
You could save approx:
with an Online Estate Agent
Savings based on an estimated traditional estate agent charge of 2% + VAT of the overall property price and the average Online Estate Agent fee of £600 inclusive of VAT.
% Update Commission
Can’t I just go to Rightmove directly and advertise my property?
Nope, unfortunately not.
Portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla don’t deal with private home-sellers directly, they only deal with estate agents. So that means you can’t go direct to the portals looking to market your vacant property. You have to use some form of agent, whether it be a high-street or online one.
Besides from paying for an online agent to advertise my property on Rightmove, what else do I need?
Energy Performance Certificate – anyone that markets their property for sale is required by law to have a EPC (Energy Performance Certificate). You’ll be required to display yours with your listing on Rightmove (and any other portal). It’s not optional.
Many of the Rightmove marketing packages in the table above will include an EPC as part of the deal, while others will simply give you the option to buy one as an ‘add on’ product during checkout. From what I’ve seen, they generally cost anywhere between £60 – £100.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been using and recommending LettingAProperty’s EPC service for £69 (£99 for properties in Scotland) to those that don’t want to go through an agent to source one. Alternatively, you can Google around for a local supplier.
To be honest, it really doesn’t matter where you source yours from, as long as it’s supplied by a qualified EPC assessor.
Conveyancing Solicitor – you’ll need a solicitor to handle the legal paperwork so your property is transferred over to the buyer.
Most online agents will try to up-sell their conveyancing services, and it’s actually a huge part of their income stream. From my experience, conveyancing services offered by agents aren’t competitively priced, so you wouldn’t be unwise to gather your own quotes before opting for the easy option of going with your agent’s recommendation. Here are a few ways you can do that:
Instant Online Quotes: fill in this quick & easy form to receive 4 instant quotes from expert SRA or CLC regulated conveyancing solicitors or Licensed Conveyancers. Average savings is £365.
Local Conveyancing Services: there’s still a huge demand for local high-street Conveyancing Services even though they’re generally more expensive, simply because many of us (buyers and sellers) prefer face-to-face service. So checkout your local area for Conveyancing Services.
Recommendations: unfortunately, If you spend a little time researching ‘conveyancing services’ it will quickly become apparent that there isn’t a shortage of complaints about dire service. Using a conveyancing service seems to be a real hit or miss experience. So it’s always worth asking friends and relatives for recommendations.
Here’s a guide on conveyancing, if you’re interested in learning more.
Professional Photography – of course, not a legal requirement, but essential in my opinion.
Needless to say, professional photography is crucial to maximising enquiries, so it’s a wise investment. Don’t be one of those people that skimp on high quality photos and end up taking wonky and dingy pics on a smartphone.
Don’t get me wrong, smartphone cameras have come a long way and they can take incredible pictures, but if you don’t have any comprehension of composition, lighting, and if you don’t have a wide angle lens, you stand a good chance of killing your marketing campaign before it even starts.
Similarly with EPC’s, many of the more expensive sales packages will include professional photography as part of the deal, while the cheaper one’s will give you the option to buy the service as an ‘add on’ product during checkout. Of course, you also have the option to Google for local suppliers.
Can I sell my house privately without an agent?
What, you mean, without any kind of agent, including an online one?
Technically, you can market your property anyhow you want – even without an agent – but I personally wouldn’t bother.
Local newspapers and pin boards in the local corner shop just aren’t as effective as they used to be. With 90% of home-buyers researching properties online, you’d be bonkers to try and bypass using an agent, even as tempting as it may seem.
For now, estate agents are the gatekeepers for getting your property on the UK’s biggest portals!
Will advertising on Rightmove REALLY help me sell my home?
Please be assured that I can’t guarantee that any of these websites will successfully find you a buyer. But then again, a high-street agent can’t guarantee that either.
All I can say is that I’ve used similar online agent based services in the past, and they’ve worked for me (and thousands of other people- and that’s why they are becoming incredibly popular) by generating plenty of interest and enquiries.
As said already, the reality is, most traditional high-street agents generate the majority of their enquiries from online portals like Rightmove and Zoopla. So as long as your property is marketed on at least Rightmove (but preferably Zoopla as well), you stand as good a chance as any high-street agent to generate enquiries.
How long will it take to sell my property if I list it on Rightmove privately?
It really depends on a few moving parts.
But what I think you’re actually asking me is if it would be more or less efficient if you tried selling your property privately on Rightmove compared to using a local and traditional high-street estate agent. While I have already indirectly answered the question – when highlighting the fact that high-street agents receive the majority of their leads (from prospective buyers) via the big online portals – I will clarify that, in my opinion, you’re not likely to flog your property any quicker or slower.
Yes, it’s true, high-street agents can tap into the local trade (i.e. the walker-buyers and window-shoppers) and that can make a difference, but that market is dwindling quickly and becoming lifeless- the majority of buyers go online, to websites like Rightmove and Zoopla, as their first port of call.
What about the other portals, like Zoopla, OnTheMarket, and PrimeLocation- do I need to advertise on them?
Nah, I personally wouldn’t rely on any portal other than Rightmove. Actually, that’s not entirely fair. Zoopla deserves for its potency and influence!
As covered in the section above, I would focus on choosing an online agent that will market your property on both Rightmove & Zoopla (the one’s listed above currently do), all the others are just added bonuses which aren’t as popular (i.e. they won’t have as many people looking for property on their website), in my opinion.
Is there anything I need to be wary of when using a Rightmove Estate agent?
Definitely!
An online agent that markets on Rightmove & Zoopla is an awesome and cost-effective solution to selling your home, and their awakening has made it infinitely easier to sell privately. While I’ll happily endorse using an online agent, I will also always caution every vendor to use the same thorough due diligence required when choosing a high-street agent as when using an online agent.
The following won’t apply to all online agents, and certainly not in the exact form, so it’s crucial for you to do your own research. To clarify, I don’t necessarily think the following should scare you away from using an online agent, they’re just points you should be aware of…
Limited marketing period / No refunds! Most online agents will charge a fixed-fee to advertise your property for a maximum amount of time (I’ve specified how long each agent will advertise your property for in the table above; it’s typically 12 months, which seems fair to me), so if your property fails to shift with in that time frame, you’re very unlikely to get reimbursed. If you wish to continue trying to sell your property, the odds are you’ll have to stump up for another round of advertising. Although, they may give you a discount the second time round (I’m not sure if that’s of any consolation).
However, that said, and in defence of the agents- if you haven’t sold your property with in 12 months, then it’s likely that there’s something fundamentally wrong with the property you’re trying to get rid of.
The “Pay on completion” option Many of the agents will offer a mouth-watering “Pay on Completion” option, or something to that effect, as well as the “Pay Upfront” option.
As enticing as the pay on completion option may seem, the beauty is often only skin-deep. Unfortunately, once you start asking questions and reading through the small-print, it doesn’t always seem so appetising.
In most cases, not only is there a hefty premium on the “Pay later” payment option (i.e. it’s usually significantly more expensive than the pay upfront option), but I’ve also noticed other unpleasant conditions tied into the option. For example, some agents force you to use their recommended Conveyancing partner if you want to use the “Pay Later” option.
From my observations, the “Pay Later” option usually comes riddled with conditions which aren’t entirely transparent (that’s putting it lightly). I’m not saying that’s ALWAYS the case, but my only advise is to make sure you understand exactly what the “Pay later” option means if you wish to use it.
Conveyancing Using a good conveyancing company is imperative when buying or selling property; they can either make the process a delight, or an absolute nightmare. I’ve learned through experience that you definitely get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing, so it’s important not to make a bad choice.
Among the dozen products an online agent will try and ‘upsell’ you along the process of selling your home, a conveyancing service is almost always one of them. From my experience, they’re not all that competitively priced, you can definitely find cheaper conveyance services from elsewhere.
If you are compelled by the conveyancing services offered by the agent (there’s no shame in that), understand that the work will most likely be outsourced to their preferred supplier(s). If that is the case, I recommend finding out who that firm is, and then run their name through Google for reviews/feedback. You know, the usual checks.
For more info and tips, here’s a guide on conveyancing solicitors and how to pick the right one for you.
Did I miss any “online estate agents” out?
If you want to be listed above, please read through the requirements right over…here.
Want to advertise your rental on Rightmove?
If you’re a landlord wanting to market your rental property on Rightmove and the alike and bypass the cost of using a high-street letting agent, then you may want to visit the Advertise Rentals on Rightmove page.
Comentarios