Page 8 - ESPC_Jul24

ESPC NEWS
middleman
Cutting out the
Save time – and money – when you go direct to your
chosen solicitor estate agent.
hen you’re looking to sell a That’s why we encourage you to come
property, we know that every direct to espc.com when you’re looking to
W penny counts, especially in a tough appoint a solicitor estate agent. We offer a
financial climate. comprehensive directory of our 126 member
firms, which is completely impartial and
But affordability doesn’t just apply to property crucially, completely free.
prices or LBTT – it also factors in the fees of
your chosen solicitor estate agent. Whatever Isn’t it always free, you might ask? Well,
you prioritise, whether that’s value for money that depends.
or a premium service, we know that pricing is
a key component in the selection process. Many customers choose to use a solicitor
estate agency close to home, or go on word-
of-mouth recommendations, especially if
you’re selling for the first time. However,
some customers choose to use ‘find an
agent’ online directories, which may be
marketed as free to use, but are often not
ESPC-affiliated solicitor actually free at all.
estate agents achieve an These sites come with hidden costs: typically,
average of 2% more above around 0.25% of the property’s selling price,
that usually gets added to your final bill.
Home Report valuation
for property sales than 0.25% doesn’t sound like much, but when
you consider that this could mean a figure
non-ESPC agents. stretching anywhere from the hundreds into
the thousands, things don’t quite add up. For
example, for a property costing £250,000,
using one of these ‘find an agent’ services
would add an extra £625 to your costs - £625
that you could spend better on furnishing
your new home.
8 | espc.com
Whatever you want to spend, going directly home to make the most of the value on offer,
to your preferred agent, or using ESPC’s
and to not unnecessarily add an expense to
the process.”
directory, means that you can feel safe in the
knowledge that there is no middleman adding
unnecessary costs to the selling process.
Paul Hilton, CEO of ESPC, added: “ESPC prides
itself on being a free, impartial service that
Andrew Diamond, Chairman of ESPC, explains: offers buyers and sellers the opportunity
“When appointing a solicitor estate agency to access a wealth of expertise and advice,
firm, it’s about more than price – but we know alongside the opportunity to engage any
that price is an important part of a client’s one of our excellent member firms. We offer
decision. However much you can afford to a free-to-use directory of our member firms,
spend, the take-home message is that if you which no agent pays to be a part of, so you
choose to use ESPC or go directly to an agent, can be reassured that everything is fair. We
it will be hundreds, perhaps thousands of also offer free valuations with our firms,
pounds cheaper than going through an agent- which gives a prospective seller the tools
finding service. We are in close communication to make the decision on who they prefer to
with all of our member firms, and they are use. ESPC takes no fee for this service, so
universally in agreement that these websites you won’t find yourself paying more due to
are unnecessarily expensive and add nothing to firms having to pay a middleman for leads.
the consumer experience. Our member firms For first-time sellers especially, we know that
are all in healthy competition in a busy, thriving every penny counts, and we want you to enjoy
market, and they all offer excellent value for the incredible service and unrivalled local
money when you consider their breadth of expertise our members can offer, without
knowledge, experience and expertise. I would paying for a wholly unnecessary middleman
therefore urge anyone thinking of selling their to take you to them.”
Independent market research
conducted in March/April 2024 has
also confirmed that local, ESPC-
affiliated solicitor estate agents
achieve an average of 2% more
above Home Report valuation
for property sales than non-ESPC
agents, meaning a lot of extra cash
for you as a home seller if you
choose to use an ESPC firm, and
use espc.com to find them.
Ready to get started selling your home? Head to espc.com/find-an-agent today.
espc.com | 9