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ESPC NEWS

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

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