Can you change estate agents

How can I get estate agents on side? Making an offer and haggling over the price Clever questions to ask the estate agent How long does it take to buy and sell a home Sealed bids explained See more advice guides Getting a survey What sort of survey should I have? How much does a survey cost? New build snagging surveys How long does it take to get a survey? The legal side of buying a house The legal side of buying a home explained Finding the right solicitor or conveyancer How much should conveyancing fees cost?

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If I switch estate agents will I have to pay commission to my old one? Other ways we can help. Sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter for the latest news, advice and exclusive money saving offers Newsletter signup. Advice for home owners Find a tradesperson Find an architect Find a structural engineer Find a party wall surveyor Find a planning consultant Find a lease extension solicitor Find a valuation survey Find an Independent Financial Adviser.

If you found this website useful, could you spare a minute to leave us a review? You'll have the option to leave an anonymous review. Often, fixed-fee agents charge some, or all, of the fee upfront.

Also check your tie-in period. Most notice periods are weeks, but some are longer. Ask friends and family too — which agents would they recommend, and why? Look at their online presence: if they have videos on Facebook or YouTube, how do they come across? Personable and enthusiastic? Or formal and flat? Pick a property in your area, one similar to your own.

Some people find this a really challenging exercise to do — if this is you, ask a friend or family member and listen in! If the agent scores above eight, they are clearly competent and attentive and worthy of further consideration. Any lower, and they are failing to understand your needs, as a prospective buyer, which does not bode well. Whatever your plans, chatting them through, confidentially, can help.

When you chose your estate agent, you did so because you believed they could sell your home. You felt so certain, you even put your name to it when you signed the contract. Step 1 — Use your head and not your heart Before making a move, look at the facts. Step 2- Study the small print There are three main types of estate agent agreements. Did they ask for your name and phone number?

If you don't feel your estate agent has done their job properly, and you've found a buyer yourself, you probably still have to pay for commission.

Normally you can pull out and will owe the agents nothing except any agreed costs, such as those incurred for advertising in local press or on the internet, provided you don't go on to sell to a buyer who was introduced to you as a result of their efforts.

If another agent has sold your property but the original agent is demanding commission, use our template letter to reject the estate agent's claim.

Ultimately, what you have to pay will depend on the contract. Always check if the contract is an open-ended agreement. Some agents insist that you'll still have to pay them if they introduced someone to you who buys your house within six months of your contract ending.

Some say that you'll have to pay no matter how long it is after termination of your contract, although such a term could be challenged under the Unfair Terms of Contract Regulations These regulations will enable you to challenge any standard term, contained within the estate agent's contract which has not been individually negotiated, which is deemed to be unfair.

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