Yep. At the moment, most agents would be happy to value the property without commitment on your part. They provide a market valuation, which is not the same thing as a qualified valuer would provide. They have other properties on their books which they compare your property with. If you do some homework and study house prices in your area for your type of property, you can get a good feel for what they go for.
Agents also have different strategies for getting business - some of them give you an low valuation because they know they can sell the property straight away at that price and get their commission. Others will give you a high valuation, which appeals to peoples greed instincts - hoping to secure the client, only to advise them to reduce the price at a later date when they can't sell it. Some pitch in in the middle because that's what a lot of people go for - the middle point of several valuations.
It can also depend on your circumstances. For example, the house next door was on the market for ages because the retired couple living there set a high price and just waited for the market to catch up. They weren't bothered about selling quick. Some people come unstuck at high valuations because the mortgage valuation doesn't come up to what the buyers want to pay (ie, the mortgage co/bank think the buyers are being ripped off).
A difference of £150k could be quite a large percentage error I guess. Maybe you have a unique property which is difficult to value. If you're looking to go without an agent, you could get a chartered surveyor to value it for you, for a fee, which would give you an idea of how a mortgage company would lend on it. It's mostly guesswork anyhow, so your own valuation is probably as good as anyones.
Agents also have different strategies for getting business - some of them give you an low valuation because they know they can sell the property straight away at that price and get their commission. Others will give you a high valuation, which appeals to peoples greed instincts - hoping to secure the client, only to advise them to reduce the price at a later date when they can't sell it. Some pitch in in the middle because that's what a lot of people go for - the middle point of several valuations.
It can also depend on your circumstances. For example, the house next door was on the market for ages because the retired couple living there set a high price and just waited for the market to catch up. They weren't bothered about selling quick. Some people come unstuck at high valuations because the mortgage valuation doesn't come up to what the buyers want to pay (ie, the mortgage co/bank think the buyers are being ripped off).
A difference of £150k could be quite a large percentage error I guess. Maybe you have a unique property which is difficult to value. If you're looking to go without an agent, you could get a chartered surveyor to value it for you, for a fee, which would give you an idea of how a mortgage company would lend on it. It's mostly guesswork anyhow, so your own valuation is probably as good as anyones.
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