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What to ask before you sign anything.

Eight questions. Take them with you, use them on every agent you meet, and use them on members of the Ethical Agent Network too. A good agent will enjoy answering these.

The interior of an estate agency office with staff working at desks
Ask all eight in a room like this one, and ask them of everybody you see.

The eight, and what a straight answer sounds like.

Under each question is what you are listening for. None of them are trick questions and none of them are rude to ask.

  1. What have you sold near me, and what did it go for?

    You want addresses and figures. A percentage with no homes behind it is not an answer.

  2. How did you arrive at that price?

    The good answer names specific homes that sold, and says why yours is worth more or less than each of them. A figure with no working behind it is a pitch, not a valuation.

  3. How long am I tied in for, and how much notice do I give?

    Two separate numbers, and they are often confused. The tie in is how long you cannot leave. The notice is how long it takes to leave once you can. Ask for both out loud, then ask to see them in the contract before you sign anything.

  4. What is your fee, and what is not included in it?

    Photography, floorplans, a premium listing, withdrawal fees. Ask which of those are extra and make them name the list.

  5. Am I signing sole agency or sole selling rights?

    They sound alike and they are not the same. Under sole selling rights you can owe the full fee even if you find the buyer entirely yourself. Ask which one you are being offered, and why.

  6. Who does my viewings, and who rings me with feedback?

    A name, not a department. Then ask who covers it when that person is away.

  7. What is wrong with my house?

    If the answer is that everything about it is wonderful, you are being sold to rather than advised. You want the two things a buyer will notice, and what, if anything, is worth doing about them.

  8. Will I be asked to use your mortgage adviser or your solicitor?

    Being offered them is normal. Being required to use them, or having your offer taken more seriously because you did, is against the rules. Ask the question and watch the answer.

That is the whole list, and it is yours whether you ever speak to the Ethical Agent Network or not. These eight are what to ask. What to look for is a separate list. Seven ways to spot an ethical estate agent, useful on any agent.

One side of A4. Nothing to fill in and nothing to sign. Fold it up and take it with you.

The eight questions to ask any estate agent. Ethical Agent Network, ethicalagentnetwork.co.uk

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