How to choose an estate agent
Choose an estate agent on evidence, not on the highest valuation. Compare at least three agents on their fee including VAT, how quickly they sell homes like yours, what share of the asking price they achieve, how many similar homes they have sold recently and which portals they use. Then check the contract for the tie-in period and notice period.
This guide sets out the figures to compare, the questions to ask when an agent values your home, the contract terms to check before you sign, the warning signs to look for and what to do if something goes wrong.
In this guide: The figures to compare | Questions to ask at the valuation | Contract terms to check | Red flags | Redress schemes | Questions
The figures to compare
Fee including VAT
Estate agents’ quotes should include VAT. The average fee paid by sellers in 2025 was about 1.3% including VAT (Which?, citing Rightmove). High street agents on sole agency usually charge 1% to 1.8% and sometimes as much as 2.5%; online agents typically charge a fixed fee of £500 to £1,500 (Rightmove, 2025). On a home at the UK average price of £272,611, 1.3% comes to £3,543.94.
Ask whether the fee is a percentage or a fixed sum, when it is paid and what it includes. Extras such as photographs, a floorplan, accompanied viewings or a premium portal listing can add to a low headline fee. Use the estate agent fees calculator to compare quotes on your own home.
Time to sell
How long the agent’s sales take from listing to an agreed sale. A long average can mean the agent lists homes at prices buyers will not pay. Compare like with like: a flat and a detached house in the same street may sell at very different speeds.
Share of asking price achieved
The sale price as a percentage of the asking price. An agent that regularly sells close to its asking prices is valuing realistically. An agent whose sales fall well below its asking prices may be overvaluing to win instructions.
Number of recent sales
How many homes like yours the agent has sold in your area in the last year. A high number shows that the agent is active in your market and has buyers on its books. A small number is not always a problem for a new or specialist agent, but ask why.
Portals used
Most buyers search on the property portals. Ask which portals the agent uses and whether a premium listing is included in the fee or charged separately.
Reviews
Read recent reviews from sellers rather than buyers or tenants. Look at how the agent responds to complaints.
Questions to ask at the valuation
Invite at least three agents to value your home and ask each the same questions, so the answers can be compared:
- How did you reach this figure? Which recent sales nearby support it?
- How many homes like mine have you sold in this area in the last year? How close to the asking price?
- How long do you expect it to take to agree a sale at this price?
- What is your fee including VAT? What exactly does it cover?
- Is any part of the fee payable if the home does not sell?
- How long is the tie-in period and what is the notice period?
- Does the contract give you sole agency or sole selling rights?
- Who will conduct viewings? At what times?
- Which portals will you use? Is a premium listing included?
- Who will be my contact? How will you keep me informed after an offer is accepted?
- Do you receive any payment for recommending a conveyancer, mortgage broker or other service?
Check the valuations against sold prices for similar homes nearby on the HM Land Registry search house prices service for England and Wales.
Contract terms to check
An estate agent must give you its terms in writing before you agree to them, including the circumstances in which you become liable to pay, the amount of the fee or how it is calculated and any other charges (Estate Agents Act 1979, section 18). Read the contract before you sign and look for these terms.
Tie-in period
The minimum period during which you cannot instruct another agent without risking two fees. Which? says six weeks is typically the shortest available and advises avoiding anything over eight weeks.
Notice period
The notice you must give to end the contract after the tie-in period. Which? says it is often two weeks.
Sole agency
The agent is the only agent with the right to sell your home during the agency period. You pay the agent if contracts are exchanged with a buyer it introduced or with a buyer introduced by another agent during that period. Under sole agency you do not owe the fee if you find a buyer yourself.
Sole selling rights
The agent is owed its fee if contracts are exchanged during the agency period even if the buyer was found by someone else, including you. The fee can also be owed after the period ends if the buyer was introduced during it. Which? does not recommend signing a contract with sole selling rights.
Ready, willing and able purchaser
A “ready, willing and able” purchaser is one who is prepared and able to exchange unconditional contracts. If the contract contains this term, you must pay the fee once the agent introduces such a buyer, even if you then withdraw and contracts are never exchanged. Which? advises not to sign a contract containing this clause.
Multi-agency
Instructing more than one agent at a time usually costs more: Rightmove gives 2.5% to 3.6%. You pay only the agent that sells.
Upfront and withdrawal fees
Many fixed fee agents ask for payment upfront and keep it if the home does not sell. Check also for withdrawal fees, marketing fees and minimum fees.
Red flags
- A valuation well above the others. Some agents overvalue to win the instruction, then press for price reductions once your home has been on the market for some weeks. An overpriced home can take longer to sell and may end up selling for less. Ask the agent to show the recent sales that support its figure.
- Pressure to sign at the valuation. A good agent will leave you time to read the contract.
- A long tie-in period or sole selling rights in the standard contract.
- A ready, willing and able purchaser clause.
- Vague fees, for example a quote that does not say whether VAT is included or lists extras without prices.
- Reluctance to share figures on recent sales, time to sell or asking price achieved.
- No redress scheme membership shown on the agent’s website or paperwork.
The law also requires agents to pass on every offer to you promptly and in writing, unless you have told them in writing not to pass on offers of a particular kind. Agents must also disclose any personal interest in the sale. An agent that does not do so is breaching its obligations.
Redress schemes
Every estate agent dealing with residential property in the UK must belong to a government-approved redress scheme. The two approved schemes are The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme. If you have a complaint, raise it with the agent first and follow its complaints procedure. If the agent does not resolve it, you can take it to the scheme the agent belongs to. Check which scheme an agent belongs to before you instruct it.
Frequently asked questions
How many estate agents should I get valuations from?
At least three. Comparing three valuations, three fees and three contracts shows you which figures are realistic and which terms are standard. Do not choose on the highest valuation alone.
What is a good estate agent fee?
The average in 2025 was about 1.3% including VAT. High street sole agency fees usually range from 1% to 1.8%. Online fixed fees typically range from £500 to £1,500. The best fee is the one that gives you the best net result, not always the lowest.
What contract length should I accept?
Which? says six weeks is typically the shortest tie-in available and advises avoiding anything over eight weeks. Check the notice period as well; it is often two weeks.
What is the difference between sole agency and sole selling rights?
Under sole agency you do not pay the agent if you find a buyer yourself. Under sole selling rights you pay the agent even if you find the buyer yourself.
Can I negotiate an estate agent’s fee?
Yes. Fees are not fixed by law. Comparing written quotes from several agents gives you the evidence to negotiate.
What should I do if I have a complaint about my estate agent?
Complain to the agent first using its complaints procedure. If that does not resolve it, take the complaint to the redress scheme the agent belongs to: The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme.
Start with the figures. On easyProperty you can compare local high street and online estate agents’ fees, services and track records side by side, free and without obligation, before you invite any of them to value your home. To see what each quote would cost on your home, use our estate agent fees calculator.
