Where do estate agents charge the highest commission?

A comparison website dealing with estate agency charges says commission varies hugely across 20 major cities of the UK. 

GetAgent looked at the average fee charged across the locations and what this equates to based on the current average house price - following the large capital appreciation of the past year or more.

Despite a sluggish time for the London market, the capital still sits top where the highest fee to sell a home is concerned.

At 1.7 per cent London is not only home to the highest percentage fee, but with an average property price of £525,893 it also ranks top in monetary terms at a typical £8,940.

The second-highest cost to sell is found in Cambridge and Oxford, where despite only charging a 1.1 per cent fee, estate agents take home £5,426 and £4,711 respectively due to the higher cost of property.

Bournemouth also ranks within the top five, where the average agent earns £3,768 from the average fee of 1.2 per cent, while the same percentage fee in Bristol equates to a cost of £3,690.

At the other end of the table, Glasgow is currently the most affordable of the 20 cities under review: a 1.1 per cent fee charged on the average property price of £162,081 equates to just £1,783.

Bradford (£1,873), Newcastle (£1,957), Nottingham (£2,233) and Liverpool (£2,304) also rank amongst the most affordable cities to sell in the current market.

GetAgent founder Colby Short says: “It’s a great time to be a homeowner, particularly if you’re thinking about selling up, as the likelihood is that the value of your home has climbed considerably over the last year to 18 months.

“It’s important to remember that this will also increase the fee you’re likely to pay when it comes to selling and this can range anywhere from a few thousand pounds, to nearly ten thousand, depending on where you live and the market value of your home.

“When looking to sell, it’s always important to shop around and see what each agent is charging in fees and then get a good idea of what this will equate to in pounds and pence when you do come to putting your home on the market.”