Let’s be honest — no one wants to spend more than they have to when selling their property.
But when it comes to estate agents, “cheaper” doesn’t always mean better. In fact, it often means riskier, slower, and in many cases — more expensive in the long run.
If you’re considering using a cheaper estate agent (or ‘budget agents’ as they are also known) because their fees seem too good to ignore, this blog is for you.
We understand. A premium agent might charge 2%+VAT (Or in our case, we earn £20 for every £1000 we earn for our clients (plus VAT)) compared to a budget agent’s 1%. But the real question is: what do you actually get for that extra investment?
The answer is…a lot more than you may think.
The Real Risk of Going Cheap
We’re not just talking about putting a sign outside your house and sticking it on Rightmove. The job of a good estate agent is to actually help you move. That means managing people, persuading buyers, handling negotiations, overcoming objections, and keeping the sale on track — all while protecting your best interests.
The harsh truth is that when you choose a budget agent, you’re often just paying someone to list your home. Not sell it.
And when things go wrong — and they often do — you could be facing:
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A sale that falls through halfway (statistically 1 in 3 property sales collapse)
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Buyers who suddenly vanish.
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Weeks or months wasted with no real interest.
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Losing your dream onward purchase because your sale isn’t secure.
In today’s market, where there’s more competition and pressure on prices, sellers need certainty, speed, and confidence. You only get one shot at launching your home — and you’ve got to get it right first time.
What Premium Agents Actually Do
Premium estate agents — “the good ones” — do far more than just “find a buyer.”
We:
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Negotiate higher sale prices.
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Reduce fall-throughs.
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Guide you through the legal maze.
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Use professional marketing to attract the right buyers.
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Qualify those buyers properly so no one’s wasting time.
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And most importantly — we help protect your move.
We don’t tie you into long contracts, and we don’t charge you until we get results. Because we’re confident in the value we offer — and that’s why most of our clients come from word-of-mouth and reputation.
You Get What You Pay For
Here’s the thing.
When a seller tells us, “We’re comparing you with a cheaper agent”, our question back is: “Which part of our service do you not need?”
- Do you not want a proper negotiation?
- Do you not want a dedicated individual who will keep your sale together from offer to completion?
- Do you not want a property expert who’s been doing this every day for years?
Because if you do want all of those things, you’ll find it’s worth every penny.
Think of it this way — if we negotiate just 1% more on your final sale price, our fee has already paid for itself. And statistically, on average, we actually negotiate 1.3% more for our clients, in some cases it can be as high as 3% more compared to other agents.
But… “Aren’t All Agents the Same?”
Not even close.
Just like in any industry — whether it’s hairdressers, accountants, or builders — there are cheap options, and there are experienced professionals who charge based on the results they deliver.
And by the way — online agents currently have just 1.2% of the upper market. So despite the noise, most people don’t actually choose cheap in the end. Because they know… you get what you pay for.
Final Thought: This Is Too Important to Get Wrong
We’re not saying every expensive agent is great, or that every cheap agent is bad. But we are saying this:
You get one shot at this. You need to get it right first time.
Ask yourself: would you rather pay a bit more and know it’s being done properly, or go cheap and gamble your biggest asset? If you had to pay for a heart surgeon, would you pick the cheapest?
If you’re still unsure, come and have a chat with us. We’ll show you how we’ve helped hundreds of homeowners sell smoothly, for the best price, with the least stress.
And we’ll prove why premium doesn’t just mean more expensive — it means more value.
