“Granted, listing agencies are cheap but is that really the case when all the basic extras are added on and they have no incentive to get the best price? There is a whole lot more to selling a home than simply advertising it on the internet, and finding a buyer is only the start of what a good agent does for his/her clients.

“Like full service estate agencies, some listing agencies are of course better than others. In terms of service, some vendors are obviously happy to take their own photographs, manage and conduct their own viewings, negotiate their own offers and liaise with solicitors and estate agents up and down the chain to sort any issues before they become problems. But surely that doesn’t suit the majority, including those who work, those with small children and the older generation, all of whom may not have the time, the confidence, or the inclination to handle all that themselves.

Full service estate agencies, all of which have high street offices with highly experienced, local agents who know their patch, and a local reputation to uphold. We take professional quality photographs, we prepare property brochures and we provide a For Sale board, if required. Properties for sale with us aren’t just listed on major portals, they are advertised in office and they feature on our own web sites . We are in regular contact with prospective purchasers, we accompany viewings and report feedback, and we are trained negotiators with the objective of achieving a sale at the best price. Once a sale is agreed, we keep in touch with solicitors and estate agents up and down the chain to ensure the transaction progresses as smoothly as possibly to completion, ironing out any issues before they become problems.

“We are real people proactively trying to sell property. We do all of this on a no sale-no fee basis, for an agreed percentage of the sale price on completion, giving us even more incentive to sell homes for the best price. There really is no reason to choose a listing agent – let’s take an example: A property sells with a listing agent at £200,000 and the fee is £1,000, so the net gain (irrespective of VAT or any other costs for these purposes) is £199,000. But, with a full-service estate agency, a sale is negotiated at £210,000 on the property at a commission rate of 1% – the fee is £2,100, over £1,000 more than the cheap onliner, but the net gain for the sale at the negotiated higher price is £207,900. So, despite the higher estate agency fee, the seller is quid’s in to the tune of £8,900. The seller has more money in their pocket and has had very little stress because they sold through an agent who took care of everything for them. It’s a no-brainer!

“We are on a mission to demonstrate that traditional full service estate agents are better and at the end of the day, more cost