Can I sell my House Privately
or Should I use an Estate Agent?

There is often resentment amongst house sellers at the amount of money estate agents 'earn' and sellers are not always satisfied they are getting value for money. How much can you save by selling without using an estate agent? Commission rates in the UK vary between about 1% and 2.25% so even a cheaper property could cost you several thousand pounds.

But if you are considering selling your house yourself there is much more to consider than simply the fact of saving the estate agent's fee. Nine out of ten people still choose to use an estate agent to sell their house, and for some very good reasons. Check out the table below to find out the pro's and con's of using an estate agent versus going down the private sale route. 

 

Sell Your House Privately	Use An Estate Agent
The costs of selling are much lower	Commission fees of around 1.5% of the selling price
You must prepare your own sales particulars	The agent measures your house, takes photos and writes up your particulars
You arrange and pay for your own advertising - likely to cost you more than the agents will pay	Arranges and pays for the advertising - included in the fee
Have your own For Sale board made and erected	Arranges to use an agent's For Sale Board
No high street presence	Visibility in the estate agent's high street shop window
Personal contact with buyers - you must make your own judgement about them	Vets potential buyers
No ready pool of buyers	May have potential buyers for your sort of property already on the books
Conduct your own viewings so you need to practice and perfect your own selling routine	Can conduct viewings for you but may not have detailed knowledge of your house
Can get feedback directly although viewers may be reluctant to give frank opinions about the property	May or may not get feedback from viewers but more likely to get frank opinions
The seller handles his own negotiating with potential buyers	Receives offers on behalf of the seller and negotiates with potential buyers
Seller can keep a personal up-to-date record of progress in selling the house	Deals with many properties so may not keep up-to-date with progress once an offer is accepted

To sell your house privately you need to have the time and commitment to deal with the selling process. You have to do the work that you would otherwise pay an estate agent to perform for you.