Before you sign, get the full agency agreement and confirm scope, authority, term, notice, and whether it’s sole or multi-agency. Demand a complete fee schedule (commission, VAT, add-ons) and exactly when it’s payable, including any “ready, willing and able” or post-termination “tail” clauses. Ask for written nearby sold comparables and verify them. Require a documented pricing plan, marketing timetable, viewing controls, buyer proof-of-funds checks, and sale-progression updates—there’s more that can protect you.
Key Takeaways
- What agency agreement are you asking me to sign, what’s the term, and can I terminate early without penalties?
- What is your full fee schedule, including VAT, minimum fees, and all extras like marketing, photography, EPC, and viewings?
- When exactly is commission payable, and do you have “ready, willing, and able” or post-termination buyer-introduction clauses?
- What recent comparable sales support your valuation, and can you provide written evidence with dates, tenure, and key differences?
- Who will manage viewings and negotiations, how are buyers qualified, and what update frequency and escalation route will I get?
What to Ask Before You Sign Anything?
Before you sign anything, ask for the full agency agreement and all attached terms, then confirm—in writing—exactly who you’re appointing, what authority you’re granting, and when the contract starts and ends.
You should ask whether the instruction is sole, joint, or multi-agency, and how that choice affects fees, liability, and termination rights.
Require a clear fee schedule: commission rate, VAT, minimum fees, and any extra charges for marketing, photography, EPCs, or accompanied viewings.
Clarify when commission becomes payable, including “ready, willing, and able” clauses and sales that complete after termination.
Ask for their Pricing strategies in writing, with assumptions and review triggers.
Finally, check legal considerations: complaints process, data handling, conflicts of interest, and whether they’re tied to conveyancers or lenders.
What Have They Actually Sold Nearby?
Once you’re clear on the contract terms, test whether the agent can justify their advice with evidence from completed sales, not just listings. Ask for a written list of their recent sales within your street or a tight radius, including sale dates, property type, tenure, and any material differences (extensions, parking, condition).
Verify each sale independently via Land Registry, auction results, or the agency’s own completion notices. Check whether they acted for the seller or buyer. You should also ask how many instructions they took nearby that didn’t complete and why, because fall-throughs reveal process risk and chain management weaknesses.
Press them to explain how those outcomes reflect the local market, and require supporting documentation you can keep on file for audit and complaints purposes.
How Will They Price Your Home: and Why?
Although an agent may talk confidently about “the right number,” you should require a pricing rationale you can evidence and defend, because an inflated or poorly supported figure increases time-on-market, weakens your negotiating position, and can trigger valuation issues with lenders.
Ask them to explain their Market analysis: which comparable sales they rely on, what adjustments they’ve made for condition, tenure, square footage, and recent local supply changes, and what data period they’ve used.
Require a written Pricing strategy showing the initial list price, the review date, and objective triggers for reduction.
Confirm whether they’ve considered likely mortgage valuation outcomes and any title or planning factors that may limit value.
Finally, check for conflicts: are they incentivised by winning instructions rather than achieving completion?
How Will They Market It (Portals, Photos, Strategy)?
Even if your agent promises “maximum exposure,” you should pin them down on the exact marketing plan they’ll execute and the controls they’ll use to protect your position. Ask which portals they’ll use, whether listings appear on all major sites, and who owns the advert copy and images if you switch agents.
Confirm timelines: when photos go live, when copy is approved by you, and when the first viewing window starts.
Insist on professional photography standards, floorplans, EPC display, and accurate measurements to reduce misrepresentation risk.
Test their digital presence: social campaigns, retargeting, email lists, and tracking reports you’ll actually receive.
Require a coherent branding strategy for your property, not generic templates.
Finally, ask how they’ll handle data privacy, cancellations, and corrective updates without weakening your negotiating stance.
What Will It Cost, and What Are the Contract Tie-Ins?
Before you sign anything, get the full fee schedule in writing and treat the contract terms as a liability you’re actively managing, not boilerplate. Demand Fee transparency: confirm the commission rate, whether it’s fixed or tiered, and what triggers it (exchange, completion, or introduction). Ask for every add-on cost—photography, floorplans, EPC, premium portal listings, accompanied viewings—and whether VAT applies. Verify who pays if you withdraw, renegotiate, or accept a private offer.
Then scrutinise the tie-ins. Pin down Contract duration, notice periods, and any automatic renewal. Clarify sole agency versus multiple agency, and the “ready, willing and able purchaser” clause. Require written rules on post-termination fees for buyers introduced during the term, with a defined tail period.
Who’s Your Day-to-Day Contact, and How Often Will They Update You?
When you instruct an agent, you’re also choosing who controls the flow of information and, by extension, your risk exposure on price, timing, and compliance. Ask who your named, day-to-day contact is, and get it confirmed in writing, not implied by a generic “team” model. Clarify whether they’re a negotiator, branch manager, or administrator, and who covers sickness, holidays, or high workload so nothing stalls.
Define the cadence and format of updates: weekly minimum, same-day reporting after material events, and written summaries you can retain. Specify what counts as “material” (offers, price feedback, marketing changes, delays, complaints).
Test agent availability: hours, response times, and escalation routes. Strong client communication reduces misunderstandings and supports your audit trail if disputes arise later.
Who Runs Viewings, and How Do They Qualify Buyers?
Clear updates only help if the right facts get gathered at the viewing stage, so you should pin down who actually conducts viewings and how they screen applicants. Ask whether a named negotiator attends, or if third-party staff run appointments, and require confirmation in writing.
Demand clear Viewing procedures: ID checks, attendee logs, supervision rules, feedback capture, and how they handle keys, alarm codes, and data protection.
Then drill into Buyer qualifications before any offer reaches you. You should insist they verify proof of funds, mortgage agreement in principle, deposit source, chain position, and timescale, and that they record this evidence.
Ask how they flag cash buyers versus financed buyers, and how they filter speculative viewers, investors, and undisclosed intermediaries. Make sure they won’t share your personal details without consent.
How Will They Negotiate: and Manage the Sale to Completion?
Although the agent can’t control your buyer’s solicitor or lender, they do control how firmly they negotiate your position and how tightly they project-manage the deal to completion.
Ask which Negotiation tactics they’ll use on price, fixtures, timelines, and conditional offers, and how they’ll document every concession to avoid later disputes.
You should require clear escalation routes: who approves counteroffers, how quickly they’ll respond, and when they’ll recommend walking away.
Confirm they’ll issue written sales memos promptly, chase mortgage offers, surveys, searches, and enquiries, and keep a dated audit trail.
Ask how they’ll handle gazumping risk, down-valuations, and renegotiation after surveys.
Finally, confirm their Sale closure process: weekly updates, completion-day coordination, and handover evidence.
Conclusion
Before you commit, treat your choice of estate agent like signing a contract in the dark: you’ll want a torch. You’ve reduced risk by testing local results, pricing logic, marketing detail, fees, and tie-ins. You’ve also clarified who reports to you, how viewings are controlled, how buyers are vetted, and how negotiation and progression are managed. If anything’s vague, insist on it in writing—or walk away.