Caution is normal as your home is your most valuable possession, but you can save thousands by selling through an online estate agent.
Average high-street commission is £3,350 but vendors pay a fraction of that with online or “hybrid” agents such as PurpleBricks.co.uk, eMoov.co.uk, Tepilo.com and Hatched.co.uk.
So could this option be right up your street?
COMMISSION HIT
Typical high-street commission for an estate agent is 1.5 per cent of the sale price, so if your home goes for £300,000 you pay £4,500, rising to £15,000 on a £1million property.
PurpleBricks, with on-the-ground agents but no physical branches, charges a fixed fee of £849 including VAT, or £1,199 in London and the surrounding areas.
Some online-only agents charge even less. Chief executive Lee Wainwright said hybrid agents offer people the best of both worlds: “Transparency, convenience and savings on hefty commission with interaction 24/7.”
James Cameron, director of online estate agency Vesper Homes, said online agents suit “savvy” vendors happy to get involved in the sale: “The savings are huge, particularly on higher-value properties.”