• Flat fees

Unlike standard estate agents, online agents’ fees are not linked to the value of your property, or its location. The vast majority of online agents offer flat fees; thus, irrespective of whether you’re selling a £120k flat in Bolton, or a £1.5m mansion in London, the cost to the seller remains the same.

• Low average rates

The average high street agent fee is 1.5 per cent – so, for example, a property sold for £272k (the average UK house price as of September last year), this would incur an agency fee of £4896.00 (including VAT). The average Online Estate Agent fee is £460 – over 90 per cent cheaper. What’s more, using online tools (such as our own bespoke calculator, at www.compareonlineagents.com), sellers can readily compare the various fees offered by different online agents.

• Fee flexibility

Online Agents offer a variety of fee options, to suit different seller requirements. Their packages offer more flexibility than the typical ‘no sale, no fee’ Estate Agent deal; for instance, if you wish to pay a little bit in advance and the remainder when the deal is completed, you can if you choose an Online Agent. Pay As You Go packages are also common; sellers pay fees proportionate to the amount of time their homes are on the market. These packages are ideal for the sellers who are confident their houses will be snapped up quickly.

• No exclusive contracts

The vast majority of Online Estate Agents offer a Multi-Agency arrangement, which means you can use as many agents as you like to sell your property, without being tied to a long term contract (with corresponding obligations to each one).

• Buyers overwhelmingly search online

The way buyers search for their new home has changed completely in recent years. Increasingly, gazing at properties through an estate agent’s window is becoming an antiquated pursuit, as ever-more buyers search for properties online. As long as a property is listed on major online portals (e.g. Rightmove or Zoopla), your property is likely to be viewed by your potential buyers. The best online agents will list on every web property portal.

• Informed sellers and buyers

Sellers and buyers alike are more informed than ever, due to an abundance of property information available on the web. Years ago, only estate agents were able to access information such as a property’s previous sold prices and current valuations with ease. Now, anyone with an internet connection can do their homework on a property before selling or buying, meaning the value of a traditional estate agent is significantly reduced.

Add to this the sheer number of properties that can easily be viewed on an online agent site, and the advanced search functions offered therein. As a result, high street agents are increasingly reduced to merely conducting viewings – and, according to a recent OnePoll survey, more than 79 per cent of sellers are happy to conduct their own.