How the “cheapest” estate agent can cost you thousands more when you sell.
Most sellers compare fees. Smart sellers compare outcomes. A low fee means nothing if you accept a weaker offer, lose a strong buyer, or get negotiated down late on. This article breaks down cost versus value and why a premium agent can leave you with more money in your pocket.
Cost is what you pay your agent. Value is what you walk away with after the sale.
Plenty of agents will happily discount their fee. Fewer agents can consistently protect your price, create competition, and negotiate hard when it matters.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
The most expensive mistake is putting a good buyer in front of a weak agent.
What sellers often assume (and why it’s risky)
Assumption 1: “All agents do the same job”
They don’t. Listing a home online is basic admin. Maximising the final figure is the job.
Assumption 2: “A cheaper fee means a better deal”
Only if the sale price and terms are equal. In real life, they rarely are.
Assumption 3: “Negotiation is just passing messages”
Negotiation is leverage. It is handling multiple buyers, pressure, timing, and certainty, without giving away your price.
What “premium” actually means at Keys and Lee
Premium is not fluffy marketing. It is a model built around outcomes.
1) Price focus, not volume focus
We work with a select number of sellers at any one time so every move gets senior attention. That is the opposite of the volume model where you are one file among fifty.
2) Stronger sale prices, not just faster listings
We regularly achieve around 101 to 102% of asking price. Most sellers do not realise how rare that is until they see what “normal” outcomes look like.
3) Marketing that creates competition
Premium photography. High quality video. Drone work where it adds value. Proper presentation and showing strategy. The goal is simple: more serious buyers, more urgency, better offers.
4) Negotiation that protects your number
The difference between an agent and a negotiator is the difference between “an offer has come in” and “here is how we push this higher and keep it clean.”
The numbers: why a higher fee can leave you with more money
Scenario A: “Cheap fee” agent
• Sale price: £500,000
• Fee: 1.0% plus VAT (effective 1.2%)
• Fee paid: £6,000
• Net to you: £494,000
Scenario B: Premium agent achieves a better result
Let’s say stronger marketing and negotiation produces £10,000 more.
• Sale price: £510,000
• Fee: 1.5% plus VAT (effective 1.8%)
• Fee paid: £9,180
• Net to you: £500,820
Difference in your pocket: £6,820 more, even after paying the higher fee.
That is the point. The fee is not the real cost. The real cost is the result.
A better way to choose an agent
Instead of “What is your fee?”, ask:
• What percentage of asking price do you typically achieve?
• How do you create competition in week one?
• How do you handle multiple offers?
• How do you stop renegotiation later?
• Who is doing the negotiating day to day?
• How many properties do you personally manage at once?
If the answers are vague, the outcome usually is too.
Choosing an agent on fee alone is like choosing a surgeon on price alone. You are not buying a listing. You are buying an outcome.
Keys and Lee is built for sellers who care about three things:
presentation, negotiation, and the final number in their bank account.
If you are considering a move and want to understand what your home could realistically achieve, we can talk you through the strategy, the likely buyer demand, and the pricing approach that gives you the best chance of a premium result.
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07969 638349
duncan.kaye@keysandlee.co.uk
Duncan has been selling homes in Romford for 23 years and helped thousands of people, couples and families move to a new home.
Having sold family homes, probate properties, off market homes and high value exclusive estates, Duncan will be able to work with you to achieve an outcome that suits your specific needs.
