How to Choose an Estate Agent — 7 Questions to Ask First

Most homeowners choose an estate agent based on which one gives the highest valuation, or which one they've seen a board for in their street. Both are bad ways to choose. The highest valuation is often a deliberate tactic to win your instruction — agents know you'll chase that number. And a board in your street tells you the agent listed a property there, not that they sold it well.

Here are the seven questions that actually separate good agents from average ones.

1. What percentage of asking price do you achieve?

This is the most important performance metric in estate agency, and most agents don't volunteer it. Ask them directly: "Of the properties you've sold in this area in the last 12 months, what percentage of the original asking price did the final sale price represent?"

A strong agent achieves 97–99%. Anything below 95% should prompt questions. Be aware that some agents deliberately set low asking prices so they can claim a high percentage — cross-reference with actual sold prices on Rightmove or Land Registry.

2. How long do your properties take to sell?

Average time from listing to accepted offer varies enormously by agent. A faster sale isn't always better — sometimes it means the property was underpriced — but an agent who's significantly slower than the local average is a warning sign.

Ask: "What's your average time from listing to accepted offer for properties like mine in this postcode?" Then compare this to the local average on EstateRate.

3. What is your fall-through rate?

This question separates the great agents from the merely good. Fall-through rate is the percentage of sales that collapse after an offer is accepted — either because the buyer can't get a mortgage, pulls out, or something is found in the survey.

The national average fall-through rate is around 28%. The best agents achieve 8–12%. A high fall-through rate wastes months of your time and costs you money.

Good agents reduce fall-throughs by qualifying buyers properly before accepting offers — checking their mortgage-in-principle, position in any chain, and motivation.

4. What is your fee — and what does it include?

Always ask for the fee in writing, and always ask what's included. A 1% fee that includes professional photography, floorplans, featured Rightmove listings, and accompanied viewings is better value than a 0.8% fee that charges extra for all of those.

Specifically ask about:

• Professional photography (not phone photos)
• Floor plan
• Rightmove and Zoopla listings
• For Sale board
• Accompanied viewings (including evenings and weekends)
• Sales progression support after offer acceptance

5. What is the tie-in period and withdrawal fee?

A tie-in period is how long you're contractually committed to that agent before you can leave. A reasonable tie-in is 4–8 weeks. Be very wary of anything over 12 weeks.

A withdrawal fee — sometimes called a "withdrawal from market" fee — is charged if you decide not to sell after all. This should ideally be zero. If an agent insists on a withdrawal fee, negotiate hard to get it removed or reduced.

6. Who will actually be handling my sale?

At national chains especially, you may meet an experienced senior agent at the valuation — then find your sale is handled by a junior negotiator you've never met. Ask specifically: "Who will be my main point of contact? Will they be the person conducting viewings?"

The best agents assign one named person to each property and make sure that person knows the property well enough to sell it confidently to any viewer.

7. Can you show me comparable sold properties?

Before accepting any agent's valuation, ask them to show you the specific properties they've used to reach that figure. Recent, comparable sold prices within 0.5 miles, of similar size and condition, are the only reliable basis for a valuation.

If an agent can't show you their comparables, or if their comparables are cherry-picked from much larger or better-presented properties, treat the valuation with scepticism.

The shortcut: use performance data first

The questions above are worth asking in any valuation meeting. But you shouldn't be going in blind. Before you invite any agent round, look at their actual performance data: what they've sold, how quickly, and for how much relative to asking price.

EstateRate aggregates this data for every active agent in your postcode, so you can filter out the underperformers before they've had a chance to give you a flattering valuation.