Selling house - what questions should we ask estate agents?

[AlastairSC]

First time to sell. Looked on this forum but, apart from seeing that we should haggle down the 2% we've been quoted, not sure why we should choose one agent over the others.

It's a 5-bed rural property on 3 acres. River access, woodland etc so hopefully something a bit out of the ordinary.

Followed the EA/sell-it-yourself debate but found it inconclusive. Should we use an agent? If so what questions should we be asking?

 

[brentmeister]

Is your estate agent looking for a deposit up front of a few hundred to cover his costs in case you don't go through with the sale? I've seen that around recently myself. I think 2% is too much myself.

 

[MrMan]

It depends on the distance that you are away from him with regards the percentage, if it is a long drive he will be losing time and money if not I would imagine 1.5% being a fairer price.
Some EA's look for an advertising budget up front to cover this cash flow and if you don't use up this budget the balance is refundable, it is just to ensure that they are not left holding your bill.
Regarding q's I would ask:
What has sold or even sale agreed in your area in last 6/12 months?
What client base does he usually cater for?
What does he propose is the right way to market the property i.e price at close to your min or above it to allow for a reduction in offers?
How much free advertising can he deliver?
What do you need to do to make the property more appealing?
What does he think it would fetch?
Has he any clients on his books that have looked at similar properties that have not yet bought?