Your home goes live on a Thursday afternoon. By the following Tuesday, there are three letters on the mat, two of them handwritten, and somebody has knocked on the door to say they were just valuing a property around the corner.
If nobody warned you this could happen once your home is listed, it can be unsettling. It might even feel as though other estate agents know something about your sale that you do not.
They don’t.
Once you understand why this happens, those letters, calls and knocks at the door become much easier to handle.
Why does this happen the moment you list?
Because listing your home makes you visible to every estate agent in the area, often on the same afternoon.
Before your property went live, nobody knew you were considering moving. Once it appears on the property portals, you become incredibly valuable to local estate agents. You are no longer a potential seller. You are a confirmed seller at a known address.
Finding homeowners who are ready to sell is one of the hardest parts of estate agency. Once your home is listed, that guesswork disappears for anyone willing to put a letter through your door.
That really is the explanation.
What should you expect to receive?
Broadly, there are four things you might encounter, and they are all normal.
Letters: Often designed to look personal or handwritten, these may say an agent has a buyer looking for a property in your street or area.
A knock at the door: This may be framed as a coincidence. They were just nearby, have just valued something similar or simply thought they would introduce themselves.
Phone calls: Sometimes these come from estate agents you have never contacted. You may also hear from companies offering to buy your property outright.
Leaflets and cards: These may suggest your home could be worth more than its current asking price.
None of this means your estate agent is failing. It can happen whether your marketing is performing brilliantly or struggling, and much of it arrives during the first week, before anybody could reasonably judge how your sale is progressing.
What about the letter saying they have a buyer?
Ask one question: who?
A genuine buyer can be identified to your estate agent, has usually seen your property details and should be in a position to proceed.
If another agent genuinely has a motivated buyer looking for a home like yours, the straightforward thing to do is contact the estate agent marketing your property and arrange a viewing. That happens, and it is always welcome.
What is more common is a general enquiry presented as a specific buyer. There may well be somebody on a database who once expressed an interest in the area. That is not necessarily the same thing as having a buyer ready for your house.
So ask.
Pass the letter to us and we will follow it up on your behalf. A genuine buyer will survive that question comfortably. The other sort tends to disappear.
What if another estate agent says your home is worth more?
This is often the one that unsettles sellers most.
Nobody can pay you a valuation.
A figure on a leaflet is an opinion from somebody who may not have been inside your home, seen its condition or assessed its individual features. More importantly, there is no obligation for them to find somebody willing to pay that figure.
Ultimately, buyers determine what your property is worth through the offers they are prepared to make.
A higher suggested asking price without a buyer attached does not automatically mean more money in your pocket. In some cases, it simply means a longer wait, followed by price reductions further down the line.
That does not mean you should automatically distrust anyone who contacts you. Instead, compare like with like. Ask what they have actually sold nearby, what those properties achieved and how long they took to sell.
Evidence is much more useful than promises.
Is switching estate agents ever the right decision?
Yes. Sometimes it absolutely is.
If weeks have passed without viewings and nobody has explained why, you cannot get hold of your agent, feedback never arrives, or the photography and marketing are poor and nothing is being done to improve them, those are genuine service problems.
But it is important to identify what the actual problem is.
Sometimes the issue is not the estate agent marketing the property. It is the asking price. Moving to another agent and relaunching at exactly the same price may simply produce the same result several weeks later.
Before switching estate agents, check the tie-in period and notice period in your existing agreement. You should also establish whether you could become liable for two sets of fees if a buyer introduced by your first agent eventually purchases the property.
It is an important question, and one that can easily catch sellers out.
What should you actually do with all these approaches?
Keep everything together in a drawer or folder. You do not need to respond immediately, but there is no need to throw it away either.
Send anything claiming to have a genuine buyer to us. We will follow it up because, if the buyer is real, we want them through the door.
Treat suggested asking prices cautiously if somebody has never been inside your property.
Do not feel pressured into letting somebody into your home because they have knocked on the door. You are under no obligation to do so, and a proper valuation does not need to happen on the spot.
Most importantly, if you are genuinely unhappy with how your sale is progressing, speak to your estate agent. Many of the problems that arise during a marketing campaign can be identified and fixed quickly with an honest conversation.
Thinking of selling this autumn?
We would rather tell you about the letters before they arrive than explain them afterwards.
If you are thinking about selling, get in touch and we can talk you through what happens once your home is listed, what to expect during those important first few weeks and, yes, the awkward parts too.
Frequently asked questions
Why do other estate agents contact you when your house is on the market?
A live property listing identifies you as a genuine seller at a known address. That makes you valuable to other estate agents looking for new instructions. These approaches can happen during the first week regardless of how well your existing marketing is performing.
Should I trust a letter saying an estate agent has a buyer for my home?
Ask who the buyer is. A genuine prospective buyer should have seen the details and be in a position to proceed. The natural next step is to arrange a viewing through the estate agent already marketing your property.
Another estate agent says my house is worth more. Should I switch?
Remember that a valuation is not an offer. Compare what each estate agent has actually sold nearby, the prices achieved and how long those properties took to sell rather than simply comparing suggested asking prices.
When is it right to change estate agents?
Consider changing when there is a genuine service problem, such as poor communication, missing feedback, ineffective marketing that is not being improved or a lack of explanation about why viewings are not happening. If the underlying issue is the asking price, changing estate agents may not change the outcome.
What should I check before instructing a new estate agent?
Check your existing tie-in period and notice period. You should also ask whether you could become liable for fees to two estate agents if a buyer introduced by the first agent eventually purchases your home.
If you know someone who is thinking of selling and would find this useful, please share it with them.
About the Ethical Agent Network
We are members of the Ethical Agent Network (EAN). Membership cannot be bought. Every agent has to pass an independent assessment covering honesty, service and the way they treat people.
When you see the EAN logo on an agent’s window or website, it provides an additional signal of the standards they have committed to before you have even walked through the door.
To find out more, please get in touch or visit the Ethical Agent Network website.
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