{"id":36,"date":"2026-10-02T04:39:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T04:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yopa.co.uk\/homeowners-hub\/?p=36"},"modified":"2026-10-02T14:17:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T14:17:18","slug":"estate-agent-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dy36.stage.yopa-dev.co.uk\/homeowners-hub\/estate-agent-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"A guide to estate agency fees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s fair to say that nobody loves paying estate agency fees, especially as you’ll also have to pay for stamp duty<\/a>, legal costs<\/a>, removal fees<\/a>, and all those other essential bits and bobs. There’s always the option of selling your home without an estate agent<\/a>, but it’s time-consuming and difficult, and you won’t get the best offer for your home. That’s why most sellers decide that estate agents are worth the money – they’ll take the stress and complication away from your move, and they’ll help you make as much as you can on your sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the question still remains: How much do estate agents really cost, and am I paying too much?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it depends. Sellers have lots of different options, from traditional high street agents to local experts who are mobile and use more online technology. First of all, let’s look at the average commission charged by high street estate agents and see how it compares to the value of your home (which you can calculate here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average commission charged by estate agents<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Research by the HomeOwners Alliance<\/a> suggests that estate agents who charge a percentage fee of your home’s final sale price (known as ‘commission’) take between 0.9% to 3.6% as their fee. Nearly all traditional estate agents make their money this way, and for a long time it has been the go-to method of paying for a home sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what fees could you expect to pay for a property that sells for \u00a3250,000? At the lower end of the range (0.9%), you would pay \u00a32,250 in commission. At the higher end (3.6%) you would pay \u00a39,000, which is quite a difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that you can often haggle though, especially if you have a high-value property. If a traditional estate agent wants to win your instruction, they might be willing to come down a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, that’s still a lot of money that you could spend on making your new house a home, or putting aside for a rainy day. That’s why fixed fee alternatives are increasingly popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fixed fee alternatives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Estate agents who charge fixed fees<\/a>, no matter the value of your property, are a little newer than their high street alternatives. Award-winning agencies like Yopa provide the same service as a high street provider, but their local agents work on the move without the overheads of a physical office. This also means that they’ll come to your home instead of asking you to visit the office, and they’re available outside of normal working hours too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fixed fees depend on which agency you choose, and which package you go for (for example, a premium package might cost a bit more, but have the benefit of a premium Rightmove listing<\/a>). As an example, you can sell with Yopa from \u00a3999 including VAT. That means, on average, a seller will save \u00a32,700 in estate agency fees (and around \u00a36,500 in London) for the same service. For more information head to https:\/\/www.yopa.co.uk\/fees<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you choose a traditional (commission-based) or fixed fee agent, it pays to think about the value of your home and how much you could end up paying for the service. Our instant valuation tool<\/a> will get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why isn\u2019t VAT regularly included in traditional commission rates?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First and foremost, when it comes to traditional agents who charge commission, excluding the VAT fee gives the impression of a lower fee, and in theory, it can be reclaimed by certain businesses selling off assets. However, most high street estate agents deal with private customers purchasing residential properties, so they are supposed to advertise rates including VAT. According to the Property Ombudsman Code of Practice<\/a> for estate agents, all estate agents should have been quoting prices including VAT for any quote from 1 October 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We sent a\nmystery shopper to get some quotes, and the results were somewhat mixed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n