When most people are thinking about selling their house, they make their first and only port of call to their local estate agent. This is because they believe that estate agents are best placed to do this job and in return earn a commission.

This of course does not involve situations where seller had to sell the property fast
or had financial worries or, worst, had repossession looming . In other words, he was to sell the property through normal sale channels, and could afford to wait for a couple of months.

However there was one problem. Estate agents charged any thing starting at 3% plus local taxes. If a property sold for, say £150,000 then agent will pocket in excess of £5000.

How did they manage to get away from that? Because they ‘knew’ some thing that rest of us did not. But with modern technology and free flow of information, these ‘secrets’ are now readily available on various sources, including Internet.

Many people believe that agents are trained to handle the buyer better. They know how to find the buyer to start with, then handle them well to get to the desired conclusion of selling the property and getting you the cash.

If you are generally good with people and can confidently answer their queries about the local area, mainly local schools or neighbourhood then there is not extra advantage you need to employ an agent.

Agents hardy know any thing about your property. In my experience they almost never take the time to learn about your property. All they want is property on their books – that is all. How are they going to persuade the buyer that your property is better than the one next door – the basis of merit? In our experience, majority do not work hard enough to earn their thousands. Period!

Here is one true story. I know because it happened to some one I know personally. An agent visited his house for valuation. Owner decided to go with this agent. The agent promptly took a For Sale board out of his car and erected it on outside the house.

While walking in the street, a potential buyer saw the board and called the agent. Agent promptly called the seller, asked for a suitable time for the buyer to come to take a look. At appointed time, buyer went to view the house, without the agent. Sell did all the ‘charm’ bit. Then buyer went to see the house twice again, after calling the buyer direct. During these visits he discussed the offer, which was accepted. The house was sold soon after.

All this happened without the agent leaving his office. Buyer never saw the agent. Seller saw him only once. But agent still pocketed many thousands. Not bad for turning up to see a potential client to value the house. Seller was not looking to sell the property fast but that is what he got, without trying.

This story is not a unique story. I can assure you that many of us work harder, much harder, to earn their living.

So,do not think for one second that agents know soe thing that you do not. They have a perceived advantage because buyers often make them their first port of call. However increasingly the buyers also know that some one will be paying agents fees, and ultimately it will be them. If they can avoid the agents then they can make savings.

Here are some ground rules to sell your property privately:
- Advertise your property in local papers

- Advertise your property on property websites. They may include the sites where agents themselves advertise. Advertising there will cost you a fraction than what agents charge.

- Search for a private buyer. They are easier to find then you think.

- Look for some one who you can sell the property to for cash in weeks .

Think of places where buyers hang around – it could be your local paper’s property section or they could be searching on Internet or property forums.

Finally, be ready to be surprised how many people will call you as long as you are willing to sell the property at market price. If you are prepared to offer them a discount by splitting the savings from estate agents, they may even shock you with their speed of decision making.