The efficiently cheap way of selling your property!
The average UK high-street agent charges £4200, while the average online estate agent charges £500! But which online estate agent should you use to sell your home?
Find out everything you need to know about Online Estate Agents, including the best options available…
‘Online estate agents’… welcome to the new world of selling homes.
Online agents are becoming have become insanely popular with home-sellers because of how damn cheap and easy they’ve made selling property! When you crunch the numbers, their growing popularity really isn’t surprising.
Let me give you a quick taste of how much cheaper we’re talking…
There’s always conflicting percentages being thrown around when it comes to high-street agent fees, but let’s say charges a commission fee of 1.5% including VAT. On a £250k property, that equates to a £3750 fee! Now, even when we compare that to one of the more expensive online estate agent charges, which charge a fixed fee of around £900, that’s a £2850 saving. The average online estate agent charges approx £500. Some charge a lot less.
Compare the Best Online Estate Agents
While there are plenty of online agents to choose from these days, the ones listed below are all hand-picked and highly rated. They will market your property across the biggest UK property portals (e.g. Rightmove, Zoopla & OnTheMarket) to ensure maximum exposure to prospective buyers. If you’re after more information on online estate agents, skip past the table below!
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).
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.
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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 99Home Rating 4.9 TrustPilot Reviews Duration Until Sold Includes / Notes
Standard package
Until Sold marketing on Zoopla, OnTheMarket + more
Negotiation
Zoopla featured listing (for 1 week) Price £59Inc VAT Normal price: £99
Discount available Visit Website50% Discount Code: HomePIP5 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 online estate 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
I'm going to throw a bit of a curve-ball your way!
TheHouseShop is NOT an online estate agent (like the one's listed above). TheHouseShop would be better described as a property portal, similar to Rightmove & Zoopla- where UK properties for sale are listed for potential buyers to navigate through.
Yup, TheHouseShop lags way behind Rightmove and Zoopla by a country mile when it comes to popularoty and website traffic, but they're still a fast-growing solution that generates millions of pageviews, so they're more than capable of generating leads (which many sellers have attested to)! And perhaps that's a testament to big Right/Zoopla are more than anything else, because even if you're puny in comparison, it doesn't render you ineffective. In any case, what makes the TheHouseShop compelling is the fact that they're 100% free, and they allow individual sellers to directly market their property on their website, which is something Rightmove and Zoopla don't permit, but rather, make you go through an online estate agent to get listed on their platforms.
Disclaimer: I personally think YOU should definietly list your property on TheHouseShop (it's free, so you have nothing to lose), but I wouldn't only rely on them to sell your property; I recommend getting a property listed on Rightmove/Zoopla via an online estate agent and then getting your property onto TheHouseShop to help maximise your exposure. Price Free Visit Website
Other Popular Services
Need extremely competitive quotes for other popular services to help you sell your property for peanuts? Cool, I’ve got you covered…
Table of contents:
What is an Online Estate Agent?
Online agents have the same aims and objectives as the traditional high-street estate agents we’re all familiar with (and largely loath), which is to sell your home faster than a bag of chips for the most amount of money. Nothing new there.
The major difference is that online estate agents don’t have physical branches/offices on the high-street, which means you can’t casually stroll into their local branch. Instead, online agents have a website where their services are sold and managed, and a centralised office(s) where the operations are managed, including the telephone support (i.e. the substitute for face-to-face support) for all their customers (the vendors).
Not only does this model mean online agents overheads are drastically reduced, which ultimately means they can offer a much cheaper solution to home-sellers compared to traditional high-street agents, but it also allows them to target the entire home-selling market in the UK (including England, Wales & Scotland), unlike your local high-street agent, who are generally confined to their local area.
Similar to traditional high-street agents, online estate agents market properties across the biggest UK property portals, which includes Rightmove, Zoopla and PrimeLocations (to be honest, they’re only one’s worth a damn, in my opinion) to generate enquiries from prospective buyers, which then get forwarded onto the seller.
In terms of service, online agents can pretty much match high-street agents these days. For example, online agents can offer ‘hosted viewings’, ‘professional photography’ services, EPCs etc. The only difference is, high-street agents tend to provide all those features as standard, whereas online agents allow you to ‘add-on’ the services you wish to pay extra for. You can use the filters in the table above, to see how much those extras cost and impact the overall price.
What is a Hybrid Estate Agent (and how they differ from Online Estate Agents)?
You may have heard of the term “hybrid” agent before, and there’s even a probable chance that you’ve been under the impression that I’ve been talking about them all this time, because you, like many, assumed it was a synonym for an “online agent”.
While hybrid agents are very similar to “online” agents, they’re not quite the same kettle of donuts, so it’s best I explain the difference in case there’s any confusion.
Here’s the short story: a hybrid agent operates exactly the same as an online agent, in the sense that they sell their services online through their website. But unlike an online agent, they include a real-life “local agent” to assist you with selling your home, from start to completion. The local agent will be your primary point of contact throughout.
Because hybrid agents provide a local agent, they tend to pitch themselves as being a like-for-like, cost-effective alternative to a high-street agent but without the overheads of a physical office (the agent will typically do their admin work out of their home office), which is why they’re able to pass on the savings to their customers.
Your local agent will initially visit your property to conduct a free, no obligation in-person valuation, and then if you’re happy to, you can instruct them to sell your property (at which point you’ll pay for the service, unless you have opted for a “pay on completion” package).
If you’re willing to pay extra for the service, your local agent can also conduct the viewings.
How do you find a hybrid agent? Climb back up the page to the list of agents, and flick on the “in person valuation” and/or “hosted viewings” filters and check the results. Bingo!
If using a Hybrid agent has piqued your interest, and now you want to know more, here’s the long story: my complete guide to hybrid estate agents.
Why use an Online Estate Agent?
I’ve already touched on the main advantage above, but here it is again: it’s all about the money.
The successful emergence of the online estate agency model has acted as a disruptor throughout the sector because it offers a more affordable and customer focused option to homeowners.
High-street estate agents typically charge anywhere between 1-3% of the sale price achieved. I’m told that the average estate agent fee for selling a property in the UK is £4200. Ouch! That’s a decent boob-job right there. When you compare that to the average cost of an Online Estate Agent, £500 fixed-fee, it suddenly becomes clear why these websites are taking off. If anything, they’re worth a punt!
There is of course another advantage of using an online agent, and while it’s rather subjective, it’s been a genuine selling point for many home-sellers. Many Some people simply don’t want to work with estate agents, either because of their generally poor reputation of being lying and thieving bastards (don’t shoot the messenger!), or because they’ve been scorned in the past by their scrupulous and grease-ball antics. Many other folk simply don’t want the complication of the middle-man, particularly when the middle-man is an estate agent. An online agent solves this particular problem by giving the control and power to the vendor directly.
Bye-bye greasy agent!
So, should you use an online agent? I honestly can’t answer that for you, but if you’re still uncertain after you’ve read this entire blog post (yes, I know, it’s long… but worth it!), I recommend jumping over to my ‘Should I use an online estate agent?‘ blog post, where I’ve thrown the question under the microscope – it may provide you with the answer you’re searching for.
Online Estate Agent Savings Calculator
Ok, enough talk, you just 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
Which Online Estate Agent is the best? Decisions, decisions!
The concept of an online estate agent isn’t new anymore, the likes of Purplebricks and emoov, among many others, have been around for what feels like donkey’s of years, and you’ve probably ‘eard of them. But evidently, whether you realise it or not, that’s not stopping every Tom, Dick and Harry from making advances to stake their own claim on the rapidly growing market (which you can probably guess from the growing lists above). And that means the options are accumulating, which often means ‘consumer confusion’- which is the best online agent?
While online agents are picking up momentum due to the undeniable savings comparative to a traditional high-street estate agent, and of course, the growing shift of ‘doing everything online’, the sad reality is, many of us are still opting for ‘the same old crap’, which happens to be the nose-bleed expensive high-street agent. I say “sad reality” because online estate agents aren’t the future, they’re the “now”– but many of those that are ideal for the online solution are still blissfully unaware.
If you’re only aware of the two heavyweights I’ve already mentioned (Purplebricks and emoov), then do yourself and a favour recognise that there are plenty of online estate agents that will market your property on Rightmove & Zoopla to choose from, and you shouldn’t necessarily be won over by the bigger brand, because let’s be real, they all essentially do the same bloody thing (whether you realise it or not). That is, to market your property on the biggest UK portals (e.g. Rightmove, Zoopla) and generate a buttload of enquiries for you to process, so you can sell your property ASAP.
My advise is to first choose whether or not you would benefit from an online-only or hybrid agent, and then base your decision on price (not too strictly, though) and most importantly, customer feedback. To state the obvious, DO NOT rely on the reviews/testimonials on the agent’s websites themselves, they’re usually tainted with deception and manipulation. Almost EVERY online agent has a profile on TrustPilot, so you should definitely go trawling through them, and then make up your own mind.
Just to clarify, I’ve sifted through a whole bunch of online agents and only listed the one’s that have a TrustPilot account with respectful ratings.
The Extras – what you will also need (e.g. Conveyancing Solicitor, Professional Photography & EPC’s)!
Energy Performance Certificate – first things first, by law you will need an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) to market your property for sale. It’s not optional.
Many of the more expensive sales packages will include a professional photography package as part of the deal, while the cheaper ones will give you the option to buy one as an ‘add on’ product during checkout. They generally cost anywhere between £60 – £100.
You can also order one online from LettingAProperty.com for £69 (£99 for properties in Scotland).
Alternatively, you can independently source one by using a local supplier; simply Google “EPC [insert your area]”, and plenty of options should become available.
Conveyancing Solicitor – you’ll need a solicitor to manage all the legal paperwork of selling your property.
Choosing the right conveyancing company is crucial when selling (or buying) property because they can be the difference between a smooth and catastrophic transaction.
Most online agents will try to aggressively up-sell their “competitively priced” *yawn* conveyancing services, because it’s actually a huge part of their income stream.
However, from my experience, conveyancing services offered by estate agents aren’t usually competitively priced or make for great service, and that’s because most of them outsource the work to an external conveyancing firm and take a commission.
So I recommend bypassing the middle-man (the agent) by gathering your own quotes directly from reputable conveyancers, despite the perceived ease of going with your agent’s conveyancing services:
Instant Quotes: fill in this form to receive 4 instant quotes from expert SRA or CLC regulated conveyancing solicitors or Licensed Conveyancers. Average savings: £365.
Local Conveyancing Services: there’s a lot to be said about using a local high-street Conveyancing Service. While they’re generally more expensive, many buyers and sellers prefer a local service because they like having the face-to-face service.
Recommendations: If you spend a mere couple of seconds researching ‘conveyancing services’ you’ll quickly realise that there are many, many, many complaints about shambolic service (and consequently delayed transactions). 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 – not a legal requirement, but a necessity in my opinion. Professional photography will have a positive impact on the amount of enquiries generated, so it’s a wise investment.
Similarly with EPC’s, many of the more expensive sales packages will include one as part of the deal, while the cheaper one’s will give you the option to buy a photography package as an ‘add on’ product during checkout. Of course, you also have the option to Google for local suppliers.
Online Estate Agents & Hidden Fees – are there any?
Generally, no. From my experience, I haven’t met a single online agent that has their T&C’s riddled with hidden fees, and that’s the general backbone of an online agent- that you pay a “fixed-fee”, no more. Just another reason why online agents are awesome.
Unlike the traditional high-street agent, most online agents charge a fixed fee and that’s all you’ll ever pay. The only time they may charge more is if you buy add-on items, like Energy Performance Certificates (a legal requirement before selling a home), professional photos, or if you decide to extend the service duration etc, but it’s still a fixed-fee.
However, I still advise that you ALWAYS read the T&C’s carefully, so you know exactly what you’ll be paying and what you’ll get in return (it’s usually very transparent with online agents).
Is there anything I need to be wary of when using online estate agent services?
Absolutely.
They’re still “estate agents” after all :)
An online agent is a cool option to save a significant amount of money when selling your home, but just like any type of agent, it isn’t an infallible option without its bear traps, so I don’t want you to think otherwise. But if you do, allow me to humanise the concept…
While the following points may not apply to all online agents, they are real things you should be wary of before choosing your agent! Needless to say, doing your due diligence is a bloody must so you’re not caught-out. To clarify, I’m not saying the following to discourage anyone from using an online agent, far from it actually. I’m simply saying there are areas of caution that shouldn’t be ignored when using any service, and here are those of an online estate agent…
The “No sale, no fee” option It’s tempting! So tempting.
However, buyer beware!
There are a couple of catches with the ‘no sale, no fee‘ packages. Firstly, you have to pay considerably more than if you were going to purchase the exact same package upfront, which is bat-shit crazy to me! From what I’ve seen, most online agents almost double their fee. In many cases, depending on the value of your house, it’s cheaper to use a high-street agent!
The second catch is that most of the “no sale, no fee” packages lock you into a “sole agency contract” for a set period of time (usually a couple of months). That means while you use their “no sale, no fee” services, you can’t use any other agent until the sole agency period expires. To be fair, I understand why they do that for these particular packages.
The “Pay later” option NOT to be confused with the “No sale, no fee” policy!
Many of the agents will offer a “Pay Later” option, which typically means you can pay X months later, and it usually has flashing signs saying “no interest” It differs from the “no sale, no fee” policy, because with the “Pay later” option, you have to pay eventually, whether you get a sale or not.
I’ve seen some other nasty tactics tied into the “Pay Later” package. For example, some agents force you to use their Conveyancing partner if you want to use the “Pay Later” option.
The “Pay Later” option usually comes with some uncomfortable conditions which aren’t as transparent as they should be. Yes, of course, paying later is a desirable option, so if you want to go down this route just make sure you find out exactly with the conditions are (if there are any, that is), because the deal may not be as mouth-watering as it seems.
Conveyancing As already discussed above, be wary of conveyancing services offered by agents. It’s generally a convenient option, rather than a good deal. I recommend shopping around for your own quotes (via the means already listed here).
Limited marketing duration / No refunds! The majority of online agents will only market your property for a maximum amount of time (I’ve specified how long each agent will advertise your property for in the agent table above), so if you don’t manage to flog your property by then you typically won’t get a refund. If you wish to continue using the same online agent, you’ll typically have to pay for another round of marketing.
Bear in mind, most high-street agents take a percentage of the sale, while online agents take a fixed-fee upfront (unless you go for the “Pay later” option).
However, that said, and in defence of the agents, if you haven’t sold your property with in 12 months (which is the usual limit, which seems reasonable to me), then there’s probably something fundamentally wrong with what you’re trying to sell.
Consumer protection
While I don’t think there’s anywhere near enough protection for buyers or sellers when they’re dealing with estate agents, it still maybe of comfort to know that Online estate agents are governed by the same regulations that cover high street estate agents.
ALL estate agents, whether they’re online or high-street based, must be members of one of three government-approved redress schemes: the Property Ombudsman, Ombudsman Services: Property, or Property Redress Scheme.
Every agent should be clear on which scheme they are a member of, and the scheme should be your first port of call if you have experience any problems.
Most high-street agents source their leads from online
90% of home-buyers research properties online, specifically from websites like Rightmove and Zoopla, and that’s exactly where most high-street agents source their enquiries from. Long gone are those days when Estate Agents have to pull in the punters by the hair off the street and rely on newspaper adverts (although I’m told they still work in some areas, but the market is shrinking by the nano-second).
Essentially, both types of agents generate the majority of their enquiries from the same sources, so if you’re under the impression that high-street estate agents have access to an exclusive and magical list of buyers, you’re mistaken.
The selling process
Selling a house through an online estate agent may sound like a lot of effort and a difficult process for someone that doesn’t fully understand how the selling process works. If you’re one of those people, I genuinely think you would be surprised by how easy it can be.
Credit where credit is due, most online agents have made their service pretty easy to digest. Moreover, almost all of the online agents I have looked at have phone/email (at the very least) support to assist with any enquiries to help through the selling process, and the support hours are generally far longer than you would get from a regular estate agent.
In all honesty, the process isn’t much different than when using a traditional high-street agent. In my opinion, the only extra burden and leg-work required when using an online agent is that the vendor is required to take the the viewings. However, hybrid agents, like YOPA, do offer a add-on ‘viewing service’, which is conducted by a local expert (i.e. YOPA currently charge £150 for the viewing add-on).
Put it this way, if selling property through these websites was difficult and didn’t work, there wouldn’t be so many of them around… making a shed-load of money.
You don’t need to be a salesman (at the moment)
It’s difficult to “convince” someone to buy a property, despite how good at sales you may be. The reality is, if someone falls in love with a property during the viewing they will most likely put in an offer. There’s not much ‘selling’ required, it’s not like you’re trying to convince someone they don’t look inappropriate in a 2 inch skirt. The pool of idiots that can be convinced to part with £200k on a house they really don’t like is much more limited. And generally, people don’t buy homes on a whim or when in doubt.
Also, the current climate is significant, and it’s one of the most important factors when buying or selling a home. In today’s climate, where demand for properties is massively out-striping supply, houses are flying off the shelf. When you’re in a booming climate, you don’t really need to push a sale, the selling happens in cruise control.
So if you’re worried that you need to be ‘sales’ savvy, or have a certain selling greaseball charm like the average agent, just remember you’re in a very strong market, where supply cant keep up demand, so the product will sell it self. The sales pitch will mostly boil down to showing prospective buyers around the property, and answering a few questions about the property.
Conclusion
Most of the Online Estate Agents I’ve looked at run in very similar ways, making it easy and compelling to even those with very little knowledge. Personally, neither online or hybrid option seems particularly painful to me.
However, the differences between a high-street agent and an online estate agent should be glaringly obvious at this point- there’s clearly more leg-work required when selling privately, and that’s something you may want to consider if you’re asking yourself: Should I use an online estate agent to sell my house? What do I think? I’d do the leg-work myself and use the money I saved on a long and deserved holiday.
If anyone has any experience with Online Estate Agents, or has any thoughts, advice and tips, i’d love to hear from you.
Happy and cost-effective selling, folks.
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