Most people are told to invite three estate agents round, collect three valuations, and take the average as the 'true' value of their property. On paper, it sounds logical. In reality, what you are often averaging is: a) three different sales tactics, b) three different business pressures, and, c) three different opinions shaped by competition for your instruction. Not necessarily the true market value! An agent’s valuation is often influenced by: ·       Winning the instruction ·       Local competition ·       Pipeline pressure ·       Commission incentives ·       Seller psychology ·       Market sentiment ·       Comparable listings (not always completed sales) This creates a dangerous dynamic: One agent prices high to secure the listing, another prices low for a quick sale, and one sits somewhere in the middle. The wrong pricing causes downstream damage in the following ways: 1. The property goes stale. Buyers watch price history closely. The longer a property sits, the more suspicion grows. 2. You attract the wrong buyers. Overpriced homes attract viewers who cannot emotionally reconcile the value once they visit. 3. The valuation later kills the deal. Even if a buyer offers near asking price, the lender’s valuation may come in lower. That creates: ·       Renegotiation ·       Mortgage issues ·       Reduced confidence ·       Fall-throughs 4. Price reductions weaken negotiating power. Repeated reductions psychologically signal weakness to buyers. The deeper issue: agents price for marketing, surveyors price for reality. This is the key distinction most sellers never get taught. The traditional system unintentionally trains sellers badly, because the industry has normalised: ·       Vanity valuations ·       Inflated expectations ·       'Test the market' pricing ·       Conditional optimism Because agents compete for listings - the seller becomes the product being won. And once the contract is signed, reality usually catches up later through: ·       low interest ·       price drops ·       survey down-valuations ·       failed chains ·       exhausted sellers A smarter model - the better approach is: Use survey-backed evidence early Understand condition honestly Price strategically, not emotionally Focus on achieved sale probability, not fantasy asking prices. The irony is, properties priced correctly often achieve stronger outcomes because they create: ·       urgency ·       competition ·       buyer confidence ·       mortgage alignment ·       smoother conveyancing This is one of the biggest mindset shifts needed in UK property sales today. What we should be asking ourselves is this: What price gives me the highest probability of a smooth, successful completion? #PropTech #PropertySelling #BeatThePropertyAgent

Posted by Jen Elliott at 2026-05-14 07:01:59 UTC