Carrie Rose sold her home solo last year, and says that viewing houses herself, and seeing how superficial the agents’ information was, convinced her to cut them out of the process completely.
“You could tell they just didn’t know the little details that make it special”; like which cafés were worth visiting nearby; where the sun rose, and what the neighbours were like, the 31-year-old reflects.
“I just thought, do you know what? I’m going to sell my house without an estate agent. And I think I can sell it faster.”
She got six online valuations (all of which were free) to ensure she was setting the right price, and began posting it on every community Facebook sales page in the area.
“I work in marketing, so I was like, if I can’t market my own house, then I’ve got a problem.” She used TikTok to gather advice, finding out what angle to set her lens at and how to make rooms appear brighter in photos.
Three weeks, 15 viewings and three offers later, her place was sold.
“Honestly, I don’t see the value in estate agents,” she says (though concedes that for homes above the £300,000 mark, it may be more prudent to get professional help).
“The only thing you need to have is confidence in your own ability to sell… I’ve decided myself every time I’m selling a house, I’m going to sell it myself.”
‘Things can become too personal’
Damian Abel, director of Burnap + Abel estate agents in Folkestone, says he has seen a few buyers come to them in recent months when their attempts to purchase privately haven’t gone to plan.
Sometimes, sales have fallen through for reasons as simple as mortgages not being secured in time; on other occasions, the lack of a middleman means that “any issues then become personal. For example, if there is a problem on a survey, this can lead to arguments and someone deciding not to sell or buy.”
Without an estate agent, he adds, “you are negotiating yourself, and may say or agree to something too early, therefore losing out on money”.
A clutch of agent-free services such as Purplebricks (bought out last year by rival Strike for £1) and Hiizzy should theoretically have made sales simpler – but those in the industry warn that without professionals helping the deal move along, sellers could end up losing money.
Abel went down the private route himself last July, when he bought a friend’s parents’ home.
“Although I do the job on a daily basis, I actually found it a lot more stressful than any other time I’ve moved. All enquiries, problems, etc, came directly to me. Normally the sellers, buyers and all those involved do not actually know the depth and amount of calls that are made during a process.”
That future may await Bore, should he end up going through with a private sale.
“I wouldn’t say [I’m] optimistic” about finding a buyer quickly, he says. “But compared to other houses we know about on the market we’re getting a good number [of viewings] and very positive feedback.”
Have you attempted to sell your home without an agent? Write to tell us about your experience at [email protected]
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.
