Set Your Own Fee - Frequently Asked Questions

Doesn’t everyone just pay the lowest amount?
Surprisingly, perhaps, the answer is no.  We tend to find that, where sellers need every last cent for their next move, those clients will pay at the lower end.  Those with a bit more flexibility often choose to settle at or above the level which other agents were quoting.  Our ‘average’ fee is very much in line with our competitors – but that’s because our customers choose to reward the service we have provided.

What if we pay the lowest amount?
Absolutely fine.

What difference does ‘set your own fee’ make?
At Underhill, once someone becomes our client, they become our top priority.  Winning new clients is never worth the cost of neglecting existing customers, because our clients have yet to decide what they will pay.  Our company has made ‘customer satisfaction’ its biggest driving force.

Imagine this common scenario.  The agent has time to make one quick call between appointments.  A seller has called because she is worried and anxious about her sale.  The agent has spoken to solicitors and knows that the sale is going ahead with no problems.  Calling the seller won’t help the agent, or bring more money to the business.  A different person has called because he wants to ask about putting his home on the market.  He is, potentially, a new client.

Most agents would use the time available to call the new prospect and the poor seller is left with her worries.  With us, it’s totally different.  Our clients only decide a fee when the deal is done, so our staff constantly work to ensure our sellers are looked after properly.

Why have you chosen to do this?!
We think that, if somebody appoints an estate agent to sell their home, that relationship must be based on trust.  From the outset, it’s vital that the agent is totally committed to working with and for their seller.

Whichever way we looked at it, negotiating fees before a seller has chosen which agent to use seemed like a lose-lose situation.  The whole process puts the agent and their potential client in conflict. 

Either the agent ‘gets one over’ on the seller by holding out for a higher fee, in which case the agent starts off ‘beating’ their client.  Or the seller persuades the agent to accept a lower fee..  in which case you have just trusted your most valuable asset to someone who is not as good at negotiation as you are!

Letting the seller set the fee takes away any conflict of interest.  We are committed to working with and for our sellers, from first to last.  We don’t start with a conflict, and we never stop trying to impress.

Why don’t other agents do this?
Beats us!  We’ve created a new way of doing business that means the customer is in control, and all our staff are dedicated to keeping clients happy. By all means ask other agents why they don’t do the same!

Set Your Own Fee

How Does it Work?