Questions to Ask Estate Agents When Selling a Home in Putney

If you are considering selling a property in Putney, choosing a good estate agent will help ensure that your property is marketed well to achieve the best sale price in the current market. Despite the UK property market fluctuating in recent years, if you purchased your Putney property over 5 years ago, it is likely that the property value has increased significantly.

To give you an idea of value changes in recent years, Land Registry data shows that the average property price in the Borough of Wandsworth was £638,082 in May 2015, £664,437 in May 2019 and £710,541 at the beginning of 2025.

A local estate agent will be able to accurately price your property within the current market, taking many property details into account. As a point of reference, over the last 12 months, the average property price in Putney was £767,000, and in Fulham the average price was £1,135,304.

Overpricing a property can result in a lack of interest, while underpricing will leave the seller out of pocket, so choosing a good estate is essential and asking questions will help you to identify the best one.

Why Is It Important To Question Estate Agents Thoroughly When Selling?

Asking the right questions will help you to evaluate the different estate agents available to sell your home. As well as achieving a good value for your property, choosing the right agent can help to ensure the selling process goes smoothly. By preparing some questions to ask potential estate agents, you can avoid being surprised with hidden costs and compare the different levels of services provided by each agent.

Using an experienced, high-quality estate agent will provide your property with more marketing exposure and can reduce the risk of your sale falling through. Working with estate agents who provide regular communications and are proactive will also make the selling process much easier.

Questions To Ask Putney Estate Agents When Selling

Before you begin speaking to estate agents, we recommend preparing a list of questions which you can use to take notes of the answers they provide. You might have some specific priorities that you want to cover but these questions should give you a starting point:

1. Experience In Putney And Track Record

An agent with comprehensive local market knowledge and experience in selling properties in the area will be a major benefit. To gain an idea of this, ask questions such:

How many properties have you successfully sold in this area in the last 12 months?

The agent should be able to provide you with a list of properties they have sold in the area. If they can’t, this is an indication that they don’t have much experience of selling in the local area.

How long do your listings typically take to sell?

Asking this question will show you how effective their marketing strategies are and if you are looking for a quick sale, choosing an estate agent who can demonstrate quick sales will be a priority. You can also check property portals and the estate agent’s website to check how long properties have been on the market with them. Stale properties can drop in value, so this is an important question to ask.

2. Property Valuation And Sales Strategy

As we mentioned, both overpricing and under-pricing can have negative consequences for vendors. The types of questions to ask about valuations and sales strategies include:

What price do you recommend for my property, and how did you arrive at that figure?

A knowledgeable estate agent will be able to explain in detail how they arrive at the figure they value your home at. As well as location factors, they should mention property condition, size, construction materials, any special features, and supply/demand in the area, to name a few. You can do your own research by looking for similar property prices in the area and asking them to explain any differences between your property and others that are priced higher or lower.

What is your strategy if my property doesn’t receive offers at the asking price?

Find out what their plan B is in the event that your property does not receive offers at the asking price. Do they simply drop the asking price or do they try negotiating lower offers, use additional marketing strategies or do they convey confidence that you should hold out until the right offer comes in?

3. Considering Their Costs And Contract

Ask a few questions about the services, contract and costs, as each estate agent may have different approaches to their pricing structures and contract terms:

What is your commission fee, is it negotiable and do you charge any additional fees?

Some agents charge a fixed, flat fee, some charge a percentage of the sale price and some charge by services provided. It is common for online estate agents to charge additional fees for services such as taking photographs and conducting viewings. Check how they charge for services and ask whether fees are negotiable, ask what is included in the fees and whether any services incur an additional cost. An agent’s commission fee might be higher than a competitor but if you won’t have to pay additional fees, it could actually be cheaper overall.

Do I have to sign a sole agency agreement, and for how long?

Estate agent contracts can also vary, and it is worth checking whether there is a sole agency agreement. If there is a sole agency agreement, you won’t have the flexibility to switch to another agent if you’re not happy with the one you sign a contract with. A sole agency agreement means you agree that they are the only one allowed to sell your home. Usually, you will be tied in for a period of between 4 to 12 weeks, or sometimes longer.

What happens if I want to withdraw my property from the market?

Your plans might change, so you should ask what will happen in this situation. You might still incur estate agency fees if they have a clause in the contract for withdrawal fees.

4. Strategy For Marketing Your Property

The more exposure you get for your property, the bigger the pool of potential buyers and the higher chance of getting an offer that meets your asking price. Therefore, make sure you ask plenty of questions about their marketing strategy, such as:

Which property portals will you list my home on (Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, etc.)?

Most agents will list properties on the most popular portals including Rightmove, Zoopla and On The Market, as well as advertising on their own website. If they don’t use these portals, exposure may be limited. Ask whether they have a list of potential buyers, which is common in areas where there is a high demand for property.

Will you use social media, email marketing, or any other channels to attract buyers?

In addition to marketing on property portals, social media has become one of the most effective ways to market properties. Check out the social accounts of the estate agent and also ask them whether they will use videos and images on social media to increase visibility. They should be able to show you some examples of social media marketing and email campaigns that have proven to be successful.

5. How They Conduct Viewings And Price Negotiation

Find out more about the agent’s approach to conducting viewings and how they handle negotiations by asking:

Will you conduct all viewings, or will I have to do some myself?

They may have set hours where they conduct viewings and you could be required to conduct viewings yourself outside of those hours.

How do you handle negotiations – will you guide me on accepting or rejecting offers?

An experienced estate agent should provide expert advice on accepting offers based on their local market knowledge, property details and current demand. They should also be able to explain how they approach negotiations if a prospective buyer submits an offer below asking price.

6. Approach To Sales Progression

Even if the agent seems to be good value and has a comprehensive marketing strategy, the real test of a service usually comes when it gets to the stage where an offer is accepted and how they keep things moving. Ask the following questions to find out more:

What support do you provide once an offer is accepted?

The agent should explain how regularly they will provide updates and the timelines that they work to. Will they chase outstanding conveyancing surveys? What will they do to make sure that the sale progresses smoothly?

7. Further Services And Considerations

Prepare some questions about any specific services that you require, for example:

Do you have recommendations for solicitors or mortgage brokers?

If you don’t already have solicitors or mortgage brokers lined up, the estate agent will usually be able to recommend ones they have worked with before. While the choice is completely up to you, using their recommendations can help the sale progress faster if they already have an established working relationship with a solicitor or mortgage broker.

If you are considering selling your house in Putney and are looking for an agent with excellent local market knowledge and highly effective marketing, please get in touch to book a valuation. We have many years of experience selling properties in Putney and local areas and we would be happy to help.