Choosing the right estate agent can make all the difference to people struggling to sell their homes, says Buy, Sell and Move House, a Which? Essential Guide, published 24 September.

With so few people looking to buy at the moment, it is important that sellers instruct an agent who has experience in selling in difficult markets and knows how to sell even when there are few buyers around. Buy, Sell and Move House recommends choosing an agent who has been practicing for over 20 years and has good knowledge of the local area.

Sellers should only instruct agents who belong to one of the redress schemes – compulsory for all agents from 1 October 2008.* Members of these schemes have to work to a code of practice, making it easier to resolve any issues between seller and estate agent.

Buy, Sell and Move House also recommends that sellers should avoid estate agents who have a “ready, willing and able” ** clause in their contract, lengthy tie-in periods or want “sole selling agent” rights***.

A common mistake made when choosing an agent is using the “board count” method – counting how many “for sale” and “sold” boards an agent has in the area. This is only an indication of how many properties are on the agent’s books, not how successful they are at selling – vendors should only count the number of “sold” boards.

Buy, Sell and Move House has the following tips for sellers:

Choose an estate agent based close to your property which has local properties advertised. This indicates that the estate agent has a good idea about what is happening in the local property market.

Check out where the agent’s offices are – an upmarket location will attract different buyers to an office based next to a scruffy pub or discount shop.

Estate agents tend to specialise in property types – avoid trying to sell a flat through an agent who mostly deals with large houses.

Ask various agencies to come and value the property, and don’t necessarily go with the highest valuation. Some agents quote a high value to encourage sellers to choose them to market their property.

Kate Faulkner, author of Buy, Sell and Move House says:

“Selling a house is never easy at any time, and it is especially tricky at the moment. Picking the right estate agent can make all the difference if you are struggling to find a buyer for your home.

“Make sure you ask around the local area for recommendations, walk away from any agent with dodgy clauses in their contracts, and don’t always assume that the agent offering the highest valuation will be the one to get you the highest selling price.”

Email: rebecca.leach@which.co.uk