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In This Guide

Before you start

Choosing an area

Homes needing work

My dream home

New homes

Offline search

   1. Offline search

   2. Estate agents

   3. Search in the area

   4. Search agencies

   5. Search in Scotland

Online search

Schools

Types of purchase

Viewing property

Country Guides

All Countries:

Offline search

Search agencies

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With the rise of the Internet, this industry is probably the most under threat of all property-related businesses. In a nutshell, a homesearch agency will meet with you to discuss your criteria and needs, then go out and find properties that they believe are suitable. They will charge you either a flat fee, or a commission on the purchase price of the house (ouch!). Most people still go and look at the houses before they buy, so you are essentially paying someone to scour all of the online and offline property listings for you.

They can be very useful if you fit the following bill:

  • You are very busy and simply have no time to search yourself.
  • You live a long way from your search area and it is impractical to keep making journeys to view the property.

  • You are buying from overseas.

  • You aren't shy of a few bob - Fees start at around £500 and they will also take a commission of 1% - 2% of the property purchase price.

Apart from those people on the Channel 4 series, we don't know anyone who has used a homesearch agency. So if you've used one, please let us know - did it really remove a lot of the hassle? Or was it just as stressful trying to get them to find things which really suited your needs. If you have had a particularly good experience, why not recommend an agency to us. Tell The Move Channel and remember, we pay twenty five English pounds for all contributions that are used on the site.

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