What do estate agent league tables really tell you?
Thu 02 Jul 2026
If you are thinking of selling your home, you will probably invite a few estate agents to value it. Chances are you will receive a range of opinions on price, and it can be tempting to choose the agent who gives the highest valuation. But does the highest valuation really mean the best result?
When we recently reviewed the performance of estate agents in the N13 postcode area, an interesting pattern emerged. Whilst Anthony Webb ranked third for new instructions, we ranked first for sales agreed. At first glance, that might seem surprising. Surely the agent winning the most instructions should also be selling the most properties? Not necessarily.
The danger of overpricing
One of the biggest reasons properties fail to sell is overpricing. In a competitive marketplace, some agents may be tempted to suggest a higher asking price in order to win an instruction. It is understandable why sellers are attracted to this approach, but today's buyers are more informed than ever. Most have spent months researching the market online, comparing properties, reviewing sold prices and setting up alerts on property portals before they even book a viewing.
One of the biggest misconceptions is relying solely on historic sold prices. If a neighbour's house sold for £650,000 six months ago, it is natural to assume your property should achieve the same figure. However, buyers are not comparing your home with a property that sold six months ago. They are comparing it with the homes available today.
The most important comparables are often the properties currently on the market, not those that sold several months ago. Market conditions can change quickly, influenced by mortgage rates, buyer confidence and the number of competing properties available. A property may have achieved a certain price six months ago, but if several similar homes are currently available at lower prices, buyers will naturally gravitate towards those alternatives. Successful pricing is about positioning a property competitively in today's market, not simply matching yesterday's headline sale.
Why price reductions matter
When a property is launched at too high a price, it often misses out on the initial surge of buyer interest that every new instruction receives. Weeks or months later, a price reduction follows. `By then, buyers start asking questions:
"Why hasn't it sold?"
"Is there something wrong with it?"
"Will the seller take even less?"
The property can lose momentum and, in many cases, ultimately achieve less than it would have if it had been correctly priced from the start. This is one reason we pay close attention to price reduction statistics. In our local market, Anthony Webb has significantly fewer price reductions than some competitors. Whilst there can be several reasons for this, it often suggests properties were launched at a more realistic asking price in the first place.
Looking beyond the fee
Another figure sellers often focus on is the estate agent's fee. Of course, everyone wants value for money. However, concentrating solely on the percentage fee can sometimes be a false economy. For example, on a £500,000 property, a difference of 0.5% in fee equates to £2,500. If a stronger agent achieves £5,000, £10,000 or more through better marketing, negotiation and access to a larger pool of buyers, the seller is financially better off despite paying a slightly higher fee. The real question is not what the fee costs. It is how much money ends up in your bank account on completion day.
The modern buyer
The way people search for property has changed dramatically. Most buyers now begin their journey online, often spending weeks or months researching the market before contacting an estate agent. They compare properties across multiple portals, monitor price changes and increasingly use online valuation tools and AI-powered search tools to better understand local market conditions. As buyers become more informed, accurate pricing, high-quality marketing and strong local knowledge become even more important.
What should sellers look at?
When choosing an estate agent, do not just ask who values your home the highest.
Ask:
• How many properties do they actually sell?
• How often do their listings require price reductions?
• How strong are their reviews?
• How many active buyers do they have registered?
• How long have they been successfully operating in the area?
These metrics often tell you far more about the likely outcome than a valuation figure alone. The best estate agent is not necessarily the one with the highest valuation or the lowest fee. It is the one with a proven track record of turning instructions into successful sales and achieving the best possible result for their clients. Because when the sale completes, it is not the valuation that matters. It is the outcome.