Countryboy1

Apologies if this is a repeat posting but I thought I'd posted it a couple of days ago, but can't see any sign of it.
Anyway, here goes.
If one is selling a house with an agent, is one tied to that agent or can one use one or more? Seems sensible to place a house with as many as possible, but there must be a snag with that somewhere - or perhaps not!
I think in the UK you sometimes have to agree to an exclusivity arrangement with the one estate agent.
Thanks.

EMR

It does not matter which country you are in, the more agents you list with the better chance you have of potential buyers seeing it.

mikelincs

In the UK when you sign up with an agent the contract is almost always a 'sole agency' contract, so you can't list with anyone else. In Spain, the sole agency is rare, the only one we found when we sold, was ReMax, so we didn;t bother with them, We just went to about 6 others and got the place listed there. Gives a lot more scope for sellers.

EMR

Never signed an exclusive agreement in the UK.

Countryboy1

Thanks very much for the responses, very helpful.

Mitzyboy

You should be aware that if you go with more than one agent, it's not unusual for the agents to put it on sale at different prices.

We were with three agents, and one of them had it on sale at a different price to the others

lyric030250

Also sole agent can mean lower mish mish, in our case it is 2% less for sole agency in Spain naturally I wouldn't be paying 2% in the UK.

101wvd

Having more than one Agent in UK generally means a higher % rate rather than having a Sole Agent. Big difference if one has an expensive home.

chrisjolly

You are not tied to one agent anywhere but in the UK sole agency means a cheaper fee and more chance of success as multi agency properties tend to take a back seat. In Spain you can list with several agents but be careful as you might find that they have deals with each other anyway and once listed with one you could find it on anothers website without even being asked. Prices also may vary for your property from one agent to another.
I would suggest to use a local agent who has knowledge of your area and the current property market and another larger agent who will put your property on their website. Fees are higher than the UK and some have a minimum fee. Make sure all your paperwork is in order and get an EPC done.
Good luck and also try selling it yourself.. we did two months ago. I printed my own property details and posted them all around, put it on Facebook and emailed all my friends. I saved 5000€.

Countryboy1

Thanks again for the advice.
Just one question, who does the EPC? Do I just contact someone myself, if so who, or does an agent arrange this as part of the selling process?

chrisjolly

You have to organise that yourself and check your local paper or ask friends who they used. The price is dependent on the square meterage but be careful there are some unqualified people doing this and the certificate is no vale nada!

Countryboy1

Thanks for that. Think it may have to be the local paper. Those friends who will likely have obtained one, have moved and that was some time ago. Don't know whether or not the requirement for the certificate was in force then. Will ask them.

Mitzyboy

The estate agent recommended mine

chrisjolly

And he will have had his commission I expect...best to deal with people direct here as thre is less chance of paying intermediaries.

Countryboy1

Good point, thanks for that.