An upfront estate agent comparison website has been launched which aims to tell prospective or existing vendors the fees and services on offer from at least six local agencies and then arrange appraisals.
www.agentsavvy.co.uk works like this.
A vendor completes an online form with basic personal and property details, plus a box allowing additional comments; this is signed off by ticking a box saying the individual agrees to the terms and conditions and I am not an estate agent.
Agentsavvy then gives at least six local estate agents the name of the street and town, along with details of the property, but does not divulge the vendor's name or contact details or exact address.
The vendor then receives from the website what it calls an Estate Agent Comparison Report which is free to the recipient. One part of the website says this will be prepared within three working days but, oddly, another part of the website says it will be within five working days.
Then, if the vendor wants additional details, the website will seek to find those out from one or more of the agents.
If the vendor wants to go ahead with an instruction to a specific agent, Agentsavvy will undertake this - and then we will charge the agent you choose to sell your house a small fee once a sale is completed.
The site says even existing sellers can use the service to see how their current agent compares with others, but it advises vendors to make sure that you observe and meet any commitments you have with your current estate agent.
Implicitly, this service only works with those agents who have agreed to pay Agentsavvy a fee upon the sale of a lead secured this way.
The site explains that, in its opinion, finding the estate agent who can offer you the services you require at the best possible price currently takes too long and it's too complicated; so people simply don't bother and end up paying more than they could have or not received services they would have liked.
The terms and conditions of the service state that the operation is based in a business centre in Macclesfield; a Google search suggests around 350 firms, seemingly unrelated, are based at the same address.
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Comments
Could also do with some more punctuation - a few commas wouldn't go amiss.
Website's not the best - what's with all the capital letters
Nail on the head.
I'll let Mr Patel know. This is just the website he's been waiting for.
So none of the agents visit the property, and you don't get to see who you trust to do the job well Brilliant concept!
Ha ha ha - a credible tool for sellers, particularly with all the spelling mistakes on their website! ;)
Homeowners need help in choosing the best estate agency. This is most often not the cheapest proposal. Sure, we would all like to pay as little as possible, but in order to achieve the best price for your property, you need a first rate Negotiator and they earn their fee. There are dozens of questions that need to be asked of the estate agency. If you don't know what these questions are don't think of inviting agencies to pitch for your business.