Auctioneer fees for selling a house

Hi,

I recently sold a house through an Auctioneer. Initially he informed me that his fee was 1%. I accepted that without asking to many questions (Stupid!) Now that the house has been sold he has informed that this fee was not subject to VAT and expenses. The VAT came to roughly 550 euro and his expenses came to nearly €700. Should I have been informed avout these expenses before hand?

It sounds standard, you would always be expected to pay VAT of 21% on top of fees where the auctioneer is VAT registered ( they almost always are) plus their advertising expenses. I'm surprised they didnt inform you of this at the outset, but you will still have to pay. You can ask for copies of the advertising invoices if it makes you feel more certain.

Just went looking for an auctioneer and was quoted 1% + VAT + expenses. They sent a written quote the following day and when I rang to accept it they sent a confirmation letter outlining it all again. It seems to be the going rate and I was happy to get their inhouse produced brochure and a MyHome.ie listing included by them in the 1% part as standard. The expences would be newspaper advertising if required but initially that's not so hopefully that will amount to €0.

Get details of what expenses you're being charged for and if they're fair.

Thanks for your feedback. I think I am doing the wrong job. Auctioneers are on the pigs back!