Comparing London agent fees and service scope for a £1,069,000 duplex

[tradeTheAnchor]

I’m comparing several agent proposals for a London duplex expected to sell around £1,069,000. The cheapest fee excludes a number of transaction tasks, while the highest includes photography, buyer qualification, negotiation and coordination through closing.

Before choosing, what measurable questions would reveal the real difference? I’m considering recent comparable sales, response times, how offers are handled, fall-through support and whether the named contact actually manages the file after listing. I also need to compare the fee basis properly rather than just the headline percentage. What would you ask each agent to put in writing?

 

[makeTheCanvas]

Ask all of them to answer the same short scenario: three offers arrive on Monday, one buyer is in a chain, one needs finance and one offers less but can move quickly. Who verifies each position, who reports to you, and how are competing offers managed?

Also request comparable sales that genuinely resemble a duplex, the exact photography package, expected response times, the named day-to-day contact, and what work continues after an offer is accepted. Compare fees on the achieved price and clarify every exclusion.

 

[makeTheCanvas]

One more item: ask whether the quoted fee includes everything you expect to pay and under what circumstances it becomes due. I’d also want any potential conflict disclosed—for example, whether the agent receives anything connected with referrals or services offered to buyers. That does not automatically make the proposal worse, but you should understand where incentives sit before appointing anyone.

 

[reviewTheBeam]

I wouldn’t give fall-through rate too much weight by itself. A low figure can reflect easier properties or cautious seller selection rather than stronger handling. Ask what they actually do when a survey, chain or finance issue appears, and how often you receive an update.

My practical approach would be to turn the promises into a one-page comparison: fee basis, photography deliverables, qualification steps, offer procedure, named handler, response expectation, post-offer work and conflict disclosure. Then ask the cheaper agent to price the missing tasks separately. That shows whether the premium is buying useful work or merely bundling it.