The One Choice That Could Cost You Thousands When Selling Your Property
Here’s what I always say when I’m sat in someone’s living room who is looking to sell their property and talking through their next steps: you have a choice.
If you’re an experienced seller, maybe the online, DIY approach works for you. You might enjoy meeting buyers yourself, booking your own viewings, and doing the heavy lifting. You might even feel that estate agents don’t really do anything (I had a laugh with someone who said exactly that to me recently!).
And you know what? I get it. I know the reputation this industry has — I’m an agent, and even I roll my eyes sometimes. But in most cases, those bad experiences come from dealing with the middle ground — the budget agent.
I just want to explain that it is important that you make the right decision that is going to get the right result for you.
The Budget Agent: The Illusion Of Value
The budget agent is the most common choice these days. They’re not quite DIY, but they’re not exactly premium either. They’ll tick the basic boxes: take a few photos, get your listing online, maybe even have some local knowledge. But they often lack the motivation and capacity to go the extra mile.
In truth, most are set up to list properties, not sell them.
Here’s a sobering stat for you (According to The Negotiator):
📉 The average estate agent in England only successfully completes on 53% of their listings.
So, for every two homes they market, only one reaches completion.
To me, those odds aren’t good enough — and they shouldn’t be good enough for you either. That’s a gamble, not a strategy.
And what’s worse? Many of these agents will lock you into long-term contracts.
“Yes, Mr Client, we’ll sell your house in four weeks… but we need a six-month agreement, just in case.”
If an agent was truly confident in their ability, they wouldn’t need to tie you in like that – would they?
So What’s The Alternative?
You have a third option — and in my view, it’s the only one that makes real sense.
You choose a personal, bespoke, premium service. The kind of agent who doesn’t just list your property — they actually sell it.
Not all estate agents are the same. So find the one who:
- Has the local reputation, reviews and testimonials to back it up
- Takes personal responsibility for your sale from start to finish
- Has a plan — a real one — and the stats to prove it works
- Has the very best marketing strategies and is using all the modern tools available
- Tells you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear
- Cares about your result because they’re personally invested in it.
If someone is salaried, paid by instruction rather than completion, or juggling far too many clients… are they really incentivised to get you the best result?
This Is About Relationships
Selling a home isn’t a transaction — it’s a relationship. And like any relationship, it requires trust, belief, and communication.
The sad truth is, by the time people realise they’ve chosen the wrong estate agent, it’s often too late.
Why Do Clients Choose Us?
Because, as I always say:
“I’d rather explain my fee once than have to apologise later for a poor result.”
We’ve got nearly 40 years of local experience at Campbells. We’ve got hundreds of five-star reviews, and we’re proud of every one. Our team is made up of self-employed associates — we don’t earn unless the job is done. That means we take personal responsibility for every single client.
We don’t overload ourselves. We don’t take on listings for the sake of it. We only work with properties and people we genuinely believe we can help.
We tailor our strategy to your needs — there’s no script. We blend traditional service with modern methods, and we march the journey to your beat, not ours.
Here’s What It Comes Down To
We want to:
- Sell your home for the highest possible price
- In the quickest possible time
- With the least amount of inconvenience to you
So, in other words… if I can achieve an extra £10,000 for you, sell and complete in half the time it takes on average as well as providing regular updates and be on the end of the phone whenever you need me (and I really mean that) – does that sound like the kind of service you would want me to provide when selling your house?
It may be that the above doesn’t apply to you and that’s not what you are looking to achieve and that is okay too of course.
We’ve Got The Stats To Back That Up
Here are a few examples (these are from TwentyEA as of 17th June 2025):
- We successfully exchange contracts (get legal commitment from a buyer) on 77% of our listings (the average in our area is 56%) giving us the highest success rate in the area.
- Our average time to achieve a sale on a property is 48 Days (just under 7 weeks). The national average is disputed but can range from 70 Days to 84 Days (10-12 weeks).
- Our average time from offer accepted to exchange of contracts is 113 days / 16 Weeks (4 Months). Out of the top 10 highest performing estate agents in our area, the average time was 126 days with one agent taking 142 days (20 weeks!).
- On average we achieved 98.2% of the marketing price on all of our properties. The average agent in our area was 96.9% (thus achieving an average 1.3% more for our clients). To put this into perspective, some of the agents charging 1% (of the final asking price) less than ourselves are losing over 4% of their clients marketing prices, in some cases earning their client 2.7% less than ourselves. Which in summary means their clients are (on average) losing £8,000 (based on average sale prices).
Which Leads Me To This…
Beyond the numbers, it’s our ability to negotiate that really sets us apart. That’s where the real return on investment lies. If we can put £8,000 or more in your pocket by negotiating the highest price possible — does the fact that I am receiving £20 for every £1000 I earn for you (plus VAT I might add), really seem that expensive?
We actually have an article that helps you calculate the fee difference compared to marketing price achieved if it helps: campbell-online.co.uk/estate-agent-fees-how-much-to-spend/
Final Thoughts
Choosing a cheap agent might feel like saving money. But more often than not, it ends up costing you more — in lost value, wasted time, and added stress.
So, when you’re choosing who to trust with one of your biggest assets, ask yourself:
“Do I want the cheapest… or do I want the best?”
If you’re looking for a proper result — not just a listing — I’d love to have a chat.
No pressure. No jargon. Just real, honest advice from someone who genuinely cares about getting you moving. You can see the different options we offer our clients here (including our express sale that allows you to exchange contracts on your sale in as little as 28 days!) 👉 campbell-online.co.uk/selling/
And don’t forget, my door is always open. If you made the decision to not use my services and you get a funny feeling in your stomach that it was not the right decision for you, please know, that I am always around to help.
But my final bit of advice… please watch the contracts you are signing when instructing an agent to sell your property. Read the terms and conditions or ask your agent to do it for you. You must understand fully what you are agreeing to (particularly how long you are locked into a contract with them for).
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
Jamie