Instruct the wrong estate agent and you will feel it for months. Not in one dramatic moment, but in the smaller things: viewings nobody tells you about, a buyer who turns out never to have spoken to a lender, a fortnight of silence when you expected an update.
Suffolk is a county of quite different markets. A terrace near Ipswich's waterfront, a farmhouse outside Framlingham and a flat in central Bury St Edmunds attract completely different buyers, and the agent who excels at one may be a poor fit for another. Choosing well comes down to asking sharper questions before you sign anything.
Here are ten worth working through, grouped by what they actually tell you.
The valuation: ask for evidence, not enthusiasm
Every agent knows that the highest number usually wins the instruction. That is exactly why you should slow down when you hear it. A price you cannot achieve costs you time, and after a few weeks on the market a property starts to look stale. Buyers notice reductions, and they rarely pay full price for a home that has been sitting.
Ask how the figure was reached. Which sold properties were used as comparables, in which streets, and how long ago? Sold prices tell you what people actually paid; asking prices tell you very little. If your home is unusual — a converted barn, a house with a large plot, something at the end of a long track — ask how they would present that to buyers who might otherwise scroll past.
- 1. How did you arrive at this valuation? A good answer references specific sold properties, mentions the condition and location of each, and explains why yours sits where it does. A vague answer is a warning.
- 2. How long do homes like mine take to sell with you? Ask for examples rather than averages. If they cannot recall a similar property they have sold recently, ask why.
- 3. What would you change before we launch? The best agents will mention decluttering, a lick of paint on a hallway, or better photographs at a different time of day. Anyone who says "nothing, it's perfect" is not paying attention.
Fees, contracts and the small print
Fees are rarely the deciding factor, but they are easy to compare badly. A lower percentage with add-ons for photography, a floorplan or a premium portal listing can end up costing more than a slightly higher fee that includes everything.
Then there is the agreement itself. Read it properly, and ask for anything you do not understand in writing before you sign. Agency contracts are binding documents, so if a clause concerns you, take advice from a solicitor rather than guessing at what it means.
- 4. What exactly is included, and is VAT extra? Agents often quote fees before tax, so ask for the total you would pay on your expected sale price, and when it becomes due.
- 5. What kind of agreement is this, and how long does it last? Sole agency, sole selling rights and multi-agency are three different arrangements, and the difference matters most if you find a buyer yourself.
- 6. What happens if I withdraw, or want to leave? Ask about the notice period, and whether a fee is still payable if a sale falls through and you later sell to the same buyer.
Marketing: what will actually happen to your property
Ask what the marketing looks like for your home specifically, not in general terms. Professional photography, a measured floorplan, a video or drone shoot where the setting justifies it, a written description that reads like it was written by someone who has stood in the kitchen. Ask which portals will carry the listing and whether it will appear in the window.
A valid energy performance certificate is needed before a property can be marketed in England, so confirm who arranges it and who pays. Ask to see two or three of their current listings and judge the images honestly. The first photograph is the one that stops a scroll, and it should not be a wide shot of your front door taken from a parked car.
- 7. What is your plan for the first two weeks? Launch matters more than any later price change. Find out what happens on day one and who is calling their registered buyers.
- 8. Who conducts viewings, and how do I hear the feedback? Some agencies send the negotiator who will handle your sale; others send a junior with a set of keys. Neither is automatically wrong, but you should know which you are getting, and how quickly feedback reaches you.
Sales progression: the part that decides your completion date
Finding a buyer is the easier half. The weeks that follow — searches, surveys, mortgage offers, a chain of households all waiting on each other — are where sales slow down or collapse. Two questions cover most of it.
- 9. How do you check that a buyer can proceed? Ask whether they verify a mortgage agreement in principle, whether the buyer's own property is sold or still listed, and whether they are in a position to move. A proceedable buyer at a slightly lower price is usually worth more than a higher offer from someone who has not yet put their home on the market.
- 10. Who chases the sale once terms are agreed, and how often will I hear from you? Get a name, not a department. Weekly updates in the early stages are reasonable. Silence is not.
Comparing agents fairly
Speak to three agents, ideally within a week of each other so the advice stays comparable, and write down their answers in the same order. A simple grid works well: valuation figure, fee including tax, contract length, marketing package, who handles viewings, and who progresses the sale. Add a column for how quickly they replied to your first enquiry, because that is a preview of the next four months.
Be sceptical of two things. The first is the agent who agrees with everything you say and offers no opinion on price or presentation. The second is the one who quotes far above everyone else and cannot justify it with comparable sales. In both cases you are being told what you want to hear, not what will get you moved.
Making the decision
Once the numbers are side by side, the choice often comes down to people. Who answered your questions directly? Who explained the process without jargon? Who told you something you did not want to hear, politely, and then showed you how they would deal with it?
That instinct is usually reliable, but confirm it in writing. Before you sign, check that the valuation, the fee, the contract length and the marketing commitments all appear in the agreement as discussed. Keep a copy. If the paperwork arrives with terms you did not expect, ask for them to be changed or corrected before you commit — a good agent will not mind, and a poor one will have shown you something useful early.
Get this stage right and the rest of the sale becomes considerably less stressful. You will still have the surveys, the searches and the waiting. You just will not be chasing anyone for news.
Photo: Schluesseldienst / Pixabay
