This is a question I am frequently asked as a property photographer – should I use more than one estate agent to market my property? I’m sure you may remember the days when Rightmove and Zoopla didn’t exist. Hard to believe now though, isn’t it? When looking for a new property in the past, the process would be to register with as many different estate agents as possible to make sure you knew about every single new property coming on the market. You may remember receiving heaps of property particulars in the post and sorting through to find those you wanted to view. If you were looking for a high end property you registered with an agency like Savills and if you were looking for a lower end property than someone like Haart. Therefore, in the past it was highly beneficial to market your property through several estate agents, especially if you needed a quick sale. Yes, it might have cost you a bit more in fees but you would massively increase your chance of reaching all the local buyers in your area. More estate agents meant more exposure.
Times have changed.
Now that the internet has effectively taken over the property market, the way we search for properties has totally changed too. Gone are the days of registering with every local estate agent. Gone are the days of wading through mountains of property particulars. Gone are the days of traipsing down to your local high street to look in estate agent’s windows. Buyers now have the freedom (and control) to search for properties themselves online on the likes of Rightmove and Zoopla. 100% of buyers now turn to Rightmove or Zoopla first when searching for a new home. Therefore, if your property is on the market and meets the buyer’s basic criteria, then they’ll find your property online, probably within a matter of seconds. Instead of needing to register with every single estate agent, the buyers now just need to register with Rightmove…which they do.
What happens nowadays when you list your home with more than one estate agent, and more importantly, is it beneficial? Ultimately, when you now market your property through two or more estate agents, you’ll simply appear on Rightmove twice. Remembering that ALL buyers now turn to the internet first when searching for a new home, then you’ll simply be duplicating your property listing online by choosing more than one estate agent to sell your home. But what harm can that do I hear you say? Surely if you have two or more agents then they’ll work harder to get you sold? WRONG!
- When buyers see properties listed twice on Rightmove they’ll immediately come to the same conclusion – “this house isn’t selling”. They’ll generally be thinking one of three main things. 1. “they’ve obviously not been able to sell the property as they’ve had to go with more than one estate agent, I wonder what’s wrong with it?”, 2. “looks like they’re pretty desperate to sell, I bet they’ll take a lower offer” or 3. “not that property AGAIN, we’ve seen that SO many times!” I’m sure no home owners wants to appear desperate and you certainly don’t want to give the impression that your home isn’t selling to potential buyers.
- We’ve already ascertained that it doesn’t give you any added benefit online to marketing your property with more than one estate agent and that it can give a negative impression to potential buyers. So what about your estate agents? They’re far more likely to invest MORE in marketing your property, for example by using a professional photographer like myself or hiring a home stager for you, if they are instructed on a sole agency basis. If they’re up against another estate agent and there’s a risk they might not sell the property then they’re unlikely to fork out for extra benefits to help you sell your home.
- Many people think that estate agents work harder if you pit them against each other. In my experience, the opposite is true. When I was an estate agent in my previous career, I immediately felt demotivated when a seller didn’t have enough faith in me as the sole agent. I felt like we didn’t have the right relationship either. I would want to work with my clients as part of a team, working together to get their home sold. With another agent on the scene, that relationship changes.
- You’ll pay more for the privilege with no added benefit! It’s common for most estate agents to charge extra for marketing your property on a multi-agency basis. So if there’s no real benefit appearing on Rightmove twice then it seems illogical to pay a higher fee for no apparent reason.
What’s the solution?
If your home isn’t selling then instructing more than one estate agent is not the answer. Instead, you need to look at one of the three Ps – 1) presentation 2) photography or 3) price. It normally comes down to one of those three things! Great property photography can literally get more buyers through your door.
What to do if your home isn’t selling?
I am more than happy to give you a totally free of charge, independent review of your current Rightmove listing. I am happy to evaluate your marketing and property presentation to work out why it’s not selling. If you’d like to arrange professional property photos of your home, I can help with that too. Just email me at angela@angelawestgarth.co.uk or feel free to contact me via one of my social media channels.
What to read next?
‘Why you simply can’t afford bad property photos when selling your home’