1.    Firstly - and this is the main reason people choose a DIY agent: 'you don't pay any commission.' Erm...yes you do!  In most cases, you pay an upfront fee to advertise your house whether you sell your house or not.  At Stowhill Estates, we call these types of agents 'Pay Anyway' agents - because even if you don't sell your house, you pay anyway.  Some DIY agents offer a 'no sale, no fee' option, but beware of the small print: companies such as Purplebricks consider this type of deferred fee as a loan, and will pass you onto a third party lender called Specialist Lending Ltd.  By choosing a 'no sale, no fee' option, you may unwittingly be entering into a credit agreement, meaning if you have a disagreement about the fee, it will be a lender who is chasing you for payment.  You should also be aware that it is a condition of Purplebricks’ ‘pay later’ option that you use their conveyancing service, meaning you won’t be able to use your solicitor of choice.

2.    Your house will take longer to sell with a DIY agent.  Purplebricks spend around £35million on TV and radio advertising every year, and they love to boast about how they are in the 'top ten agents for sales agreed.'  This is another statement we think is extremely misleading as their figures are based on 'sales agreed' which is very different to 'sales completed.' Former city analyst Anthony Codling recently revealed the results of his report into Purplebricks which found that fewer than 50% of properties listed with Purplebricks actually went through to completion, and independent research has shown that the average property for sale with Purplebricks takes at least 28 weeks to sell.  You can compare local agents' average selling time on website GetAgent, which also offers unbiased reviews from customers.

3.    A DIY agent may be more expensive than you think.  Much like the budget airlines, who offer flights to Marbella for £10 but then charge extra to choose a seat or take luggage onboard, a DIY agent will charge a basic rate to take pictures and put them on the portals, but will charge for 'extras' such as a viewing service or floorplans.  Be aware that most buyers like to do viewings at the weekend, so if you want to save money and avoid paying extra for a viewing service, be prepared to give up a big chunk of your free time to show buyers around your property.  Added to that, your upfront fee only covers you for 12 months, so if you haven't sold within a year, you'll be asked to pay again.

4.    Buyers prefer doing viewings with a professional. We understand that no-one knows your home inside out better than you do.  However, when it comes to selling your home, the vast majority of buyers prefer it if you’re not around when they visit!  Being shown a home by a professional makes potential buyers feel more comfortable and they tend to be more open and honest and able to ask questions.  We’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve been asked by a perplexed seller who’d shown a buyer around their house themselves, ‘I just don’t understand it – they told us they loved the house, so why haven’t they put in an offer?’ – well, I’m afraid they were just being polite!  If you do viewings yourself, you may never get to hear the honest feedback about your home, meaning you might miss out on the chance to adjust the marketing, presentation or price.  At Stowhill Estates, we do all the viewings ourselves, and we encourage buyers to share their thoughts about the property with us, good and bad, so we can give detailed feedback to our clients every time.

5.    How motivated is a DIY estate agent, really? Consider this:  you pay a DIY agency such as Purplebricks, Yopa, Housesimple, etc a fixed fee, let’s say £850, to sell your home.  But are they being paid to ‘sell’ your home or just to ‘advertise’ your home for sale?  Let me explain further:  many people think that all an estate agent does is take a few pictures and stick it on Rightmove, but the truth is that the real work comes in between offer and completion.  It’s at this point that nearly one-third of ‘sales agreed’ falls through, and where it’s absolutely crucial to have a motivated professional on your side who is committed to seeing the offer through to completion.  Sadly, we’ve heard too many stories about woeful or non-existent sales progression service offered by some DIY estate agents.  If your DIY agent has already been paid – where is the incentive to actually SELL your house?  Compare this to a ‘traditional’ agent who doesn’t make any money until he gets your house sale over the line – who is likely to be more motivated to see the deal through?

In conclusion, we realise that it can be very tempting to want to save money by using an online agent, but in reality there is a great deal of time, expertise, effort and expense involved in selling a home.  More importantly, get it wrong and it can cost you a great deal more in time, money and sanity!

When you’ve achieved the highest price possible for your home and sold within the shortest timeframe possible, with the least stress, you may just feel your traditional full service agent was worth every penny!

If you’re considering putting your home up for sale and are wondering which route to follow, we would like to offer you a confidential chat.  We will talk you through all the various options open to you, and give you our honest assessment on whether a DIY sale could work for you or not.  Just give us a call on 01235 751 888 (we’re available 7 days a week) or drop us a line at:  hello@stowhillestates.com