What services do real estate agencies offer to sell an apartment?

• Document management
• Advertising of the sale of the house
• Selection of potential buyers
• How much do they charge? Show the house to visitors
• Negotiation of the conditions with the buyer

Despite the expense that they mean, real estate agencies can help us carry out the apartment's sale. The main reason is that they know the market well, and many have their portfolio of potential buyers so that we will have a significant part of the work done. Below, we break down the most common services offered by real estate in Spain:

1. Manage the mandatory documents for the sale

Another advantage of hiring a real estate agent is that it can carry out all the necessary procedures to sell the apartment. This involves drafting contracts, managing documents, and issuing mandatory certificates.

A traditional agency includes us the management of the documents in the collection of their fees. An online real estate agent will manage them for us according to the plan we hire.

1. Promote housing as much as possible

Any real estate business is to get the sale of our house since its commission depends on it. For this reason, these companies usually have all the means and tools to promote the apartment in the best possible way.

The traditional real estate is on your side who know the area and know the floors that are already selling at what price. Besides, people who want to buy in the area usually come to them to make the sale happen quickly thanks to word of mouth. 

Online real estate is very good at doing online marketing. That is, they know how to position their ads on real estate portals and use digital channels for the massive dissemination of a sale. 

Also, both can offer us a whole series of services to advertise the house and attract as many buyers as possible, such as:

• Professional real estate photography
• 360º videos
• Virtual visits
• House plans

TIP: a valid promotion and the massive diffusion of the sale can help us sell the apartment quickly. Real estate agencies, both online and traditional, invest money in prominent ads so that the home appears in the first search positions and reaches the largest number of buyers. When interviewing them, we must ask them how much they will invest in promoting our apartment and on which websites they will publish. Of course, we must corroborate what they tell us on our own and search the real estate portals for the homes they have published to see what positions they appear, write the ads, and the quality of the photos videos they make.

1. Filter buyers

Whether they are traditional or online, real estate agencies make sure that we comply with the requirements and that we have the necessary documents for sale in order. Besides, they are also in charge of verifying the interested parties' identities and filtering them by their economic capacity. This prevents us from receiving intruders in the house or wasting time with people who cannot buy the house.

This is vital in cases where we are in a hurry to close the business or when, for example, we will sell an apartment to buy another, and our time-lapses are tight.

1. Show the home to visitors.

The real estate agents can also be in charge of receiving visitors in our home or accompanying us while we show the house to those interested. If it is a traditional agency, this service is included in the commission that it charges us for selling the apartment.

On the contrary, if you are an online agency, this service is not usually included in most proptech companies' plans. In this way, we must pay an extra cost if we want the intermediary to do it for us.

1. Negotiate the conditions 

Real estate agents are natural commercials, so they know very well how to negotiate the sale with the buyer. Undoubtedly, this will try to obtain a reduction in the price, and we want to receive the maximum benefit. In this sense, the agency acts as a mediator between both parties. 

Also, if the operation is taking place in a complex situation such as, for example, the sale of the family home after a divorce process or inheritance in which the parties do not understand each other, the agent can serve as an intermediary to reconcile the interests of each of the people involved in the matter.

What type of real estate is best for me to sell my house?

If we are not very clear whether to try an online agency or go directly to the one in our neighborhood, then we make a diagram to see which option we prefer to take this step to sell our house :

When to choose traditional real estate?

We are interested in we want a professional to take care of all the steps required to sell our house, especially when it comes to showing the home and negotiating the price. It will also be the most suitable option if we foresee that the transaction could lead to problems, such as the sale of an inherited apartment between several siblings or the resolution of a divorce.

It will not be the best real estate if we want to be present throughout the sale process or we do not want to pay a large sum for the operation.

When to hire a real estate online?

We are interested in: we want to save when selling our house and do not mind doing some sale tasks.

It will not be the best option if we want to avoid dealing with potential buyers, negotiate with them, or look for a highly specialized real estate agency in the area.

How much do real estate agencies charge for selling a house?

 Traditional real estate companies charge a percentage commission on the price of the house.

 Online agencies charge a fixed fee for their services.

The service provided by agencies to help us sell our apartment has a cost. This will depend on the real estate since these fees are not regulated by law in Spain. However, broadly speaking, what a real estate agent can charge us for selling a house is the following:

1. Real estate commission on the sale price

Traditional real estate companies usually charge a percentage commission on the sale value of the apartment. In general, this ranges between 3% and 7%, depending on the location and the amount of the house. This cost is paid once we have sold the house.

For example, if we close the sale for 150,000 dollars, the agency will take between 4,500 dollars and 10,500 dollars. Of course, you have to take into account the VAT of 21%. This is not usually included in the commission, so that the invoice can be increased for this concept.

PLEASE NOTE: We can negotiate the commission's cost with the real estate company according to the sale price of our home. If the apartment's amount is high, the agency will likely lower the percentage so that the fees are not exorbitant and thus achieve to attract us as clients.

1. Fixed fee to pay at the beginning or when selling the house

Almost all proptech companies that operate in Spain charge us fixed fees for the service plans they offer. Compared to traditional ones, the differential aspect of online real estate companies is that we can hire and pay for these packages according to the type of help we need.

That is, the fixed cost does not depend, in most cases, on the price of the house but will vary depending on the number of services it includes or the form of payment, since it can be paid at the beginning of the hiring or selling the apartment:

Prepaid rate: it is the lowest and usually around 1,000 dollars

The payment rate for sale: it is usually around 4,000 dollars. Generally includes more services than the prepaid plan.

How to find the best real estate agency?

We have wanted to do our bit to make the process of choosing real estate easier. For this reason, we have created a real estate comparator so you can see what all those in your area or online are proposing.

Using it is very easy! You just have to follow the following steps:

1. Indicate where your apartment is: by postal code, city or province of the apartment

2. Select the type of agency of your interest: traditional, online or both

3. Compare all the agencies in your neighborhood: evaluate the services, prices, and opinions of other clients and contact directly with those of your interest 

Top of Form

Best real estate agencies in Barcelona according to our users

Our users who have sold their apartment in Barcelona can evaluate their agencies' work in our real estate comparator.  Where to find opinions about real estate?

Knowing other clients' opinions about the work that real estate agencies do is very important. They can help us see the quality of the service they offer and even warn us about possible bad practices.

We must bear in mind that, more than the brand's name, the most important thing is the professionalism of the real estate agent who will be in charge of the sale. For this reason, as each office works independently, it is advisable to consult the opinions of those real estate companies that, specifically, are of our interest. For example, if I am considering selling my apartment with Skymarketing in the Family neighborhood, I should investigate that one in particular.

When it comes to selling an apartment with help, we must also consider online real estate agencies. These, being digital, have a type of customer that is more likely to express their opinions on the web and value the quality of the services they receive. 

 How to choose the best real estate to sell my house?

• Compare the valuations they make of the home
• Weigh the services and fees they offer
• Consult the opinions of other clients
• Evaluate the conditions of the intermediation 

There are many agencies in Spain, and now, the traditional neighborhood agencies are joined by capital smart city. This makes a choice increasingly difficult.

1. The appraisal they make of our home.

Some agencies may fall into the error of giving us a very high valuation of the house to attract us as a client and try to achieve exclusivity. Once they have it, they explain that the price is not what they initially thought, and they pressure us to lower it.

For this reason, it is advisable, in addition to speaking with various agencies, to look at the prices of flats similar to ours that they have in their portfolio, see how long they have been published, verify how many recent sales of this type they have made and at what prices, and previously investigate the situation. of the market using, for example, online appraisal tools. Thus, we can evaluate what they tell us and keep the one that has given us the best impression and the one that can show that they know the neighborhood and the market.

1. The services they offer us. 

 Ads: in which real estate portals are you going to publish them? Will they use other channels to promote the sale? Does the service include professional photographs, house plans, or videos to advertise the home? Will they post it on social media?

 Visits: can you be in charge of receiving interested parties for us? Do they have an additional cost, or are they included in the fees? Are they unlimited, or is there a maximum number of visits.

 Negotiation: can you negotiate the terms of the sale with our buyer? Is this paid separately, or is it included in the service we are hiring?  

 Documents and contracts: what mandatory procedures for sale can you manage? Do they represent an additional expense, or are they included in the commission or fee that we will pay? Do you have a legal expert at our disposal?

 Extras: do you offer a home staging service to speed up the sale? Do you conduct virtual tours? Are these services included in the commission or fee, or do they have an additional cost?

  Another essential aspect that we must assess is the services offered by the agency. This way, we can know what we will pay for and if it fits what we need. In this sense, we must verify:

1. The reputation of the agency and the opinions of other clients

It is essential to verify the reputation of the agency. In this way, we can know the quality of your service and deal with professionals. For this, we can:

Consult the opinions of other clients on the web: other people's experience is vital to know if the service they provide is of quality and can even warn us about possible bad practices. For this reason, as we have commented previously, we can consult the valuation that other users have left in the agency's file in the Blue world city comparator or see the reviews that they have gone about the real estate on Google or Trustpilot.

Looking at their portfolio of flats on real estate portals: will give us an idea of ​​the number of apartments they manage and how they advertise a house. It also helps us see if the homes they promote have been for sale for a long time or if they work to close operations quickly.

EYE! A franchise or a well-known brand is not synonymous with quality. A small neighborhood realtor can be as or more professional than a reputable agency. We must also consider that what matters is the agent, so the decision must be made according to the impact that this causes us in the interview. Likewise, as we have mentioned, when consulting the opinions, we must look for those of the specific agency, not those of the brand, because the service and treatment may vary from one office to another.

1. The conditions of the brokerage contract

Some real estate agencies, both online and traditional, require an exclusivity clause to provide their services. This implies that we cannot sell our apartment through any other intermediary during the duration of the same. Therefore, it is crucial that:

Let us be clear about the service contract conditions before signing the commission form with the real estate agency. So we can decide if we agree to work with this requirement or hire the one that does not require it.

Let's try to negotiate with the agency to sell without exclusivity, especially if we have an easy to sell the apartment. For example, this is located in a sought after area, and we are selling at an attractive price. Suppose this is not possible and we are very interested in working with a specific agency. In that case, we can try to agree that, at least, the exclusivity does not have an excessive duration. That is to say, it varies between three and six months in duration and never exceeds this period. In this way, if we are not happy, we will not have to wait long for the contract to expire to change real estate.

REMEMBER: You rule the sale of your house. If you don't want to give exclusivity to an agency, you don't have to. Many agencies in Spain do not ask for this requirement or are willing to negotiate it, and you do not have to sell with a real estate agency that does not accept your conditions.

1. The price for having their services

Cost is one reason that can make us opt for one or another real estate since this outlay is in addition to the many other expenses we must assume to sell our home. For this reason, we must carefully weigh what they propose to us to choose the one that best suits our pocket, according to our needs.

Keep in mind! Choosing the right real estate can be critical in the time it takes to close the business. For this reason, we have created a free downloadable guide in which we give you a list of the questions you should ask the agencies to compare what they offer you. Also, we explain each of the stages of the sale of a house, and we give you the best tips and tricks to successfully achieve your goal and in the best conditions.

Do you want to sell your apartment and save time and money?

We know that selling an apartment is an essential operation. For this reason, we have prepared this free guide to help you sell your home successfully and without complications. In this manual, you can find all the information you need about the process:

• The steps to follow to sell your home
• The expenses and taxes that you will have to pay to sell the apartment
• The procedures that you will have to manage throughout the process
• The best tips and tricks to sell fast and at the best price

What is the difference between an online real estate agency and a traditional agency?

A real estate agent is an intermediary dedicated to managing the purchase, sale, and rental of real estate. It can also provide other services related to the sale, such as home appraisal, real estate tax advice, and paperwork and document management.

The real estate market is extensive, to the point that it could be said that there is a real estate agency for each type of client, but in general, we find two types: online real estate agencies and traditional agencies. In the following image, we explain what each of them is like and how they differ so that you can choose the best one to sell your apartment:

As we can see in the image, traditional real estate agencies prioritize personalized treatment with the client and offer their services through a real estate professional, who will be available to us in person. This agent will be in charge of carrying out all the steps to sell and attract and negotiate with potential buyers.

Online real estate agencies, meanwhile, are those that provide their services digitally: the hiring of the agency, the sale of the apartment, the communication with the agent, and the recruitment of buyers is made entirely online. Of course, we will always have this professional available to us from beginning to end of the sale. We can contact them by phone, WhatsApp, or the chosen means, without the need to make an appointment. This means that they are available to us practically 24/7.

Can I negotiate the conditions of the real estate?

• We can negotiate exclusivity
• We can negotiate the commission
• We can agree to take care of advertisements or visits

Most online real estate agencies' proposal allows us to choose and pay only for the services we want. But what about the traditional ones? As always, it will depend on the agency, but most have a certain margin of flexibility to negotiate specific conditions:

Exclusivity: this is the point that is most often negotiated since many sellers do not want to "marry" a single real estate agency. For this reason, many of them yield to reduce the time of permanence. Even if the agency is interested in capturing the sale because we have an easy to sell the apartment, we will likely get the exclusivity removed.

Commissions: To a certain extent, real estate companies have their fees established, but these also depend on the sale price of our apartment. For example, if the property has a very high appraised value, the commission can be lowered to attract the client. 

Ads: if we have notions of marketing or are quite savvy and are very good at digital media or photography, we can agree with the real estate agent that we will take care of writing and positioning the ads. This way, we have more control over the process, and we guarantee that the sale is advertised correctly.

Visits: if we sell with an online real estate, we take care of receiving the interested parties, but if we do it with a traditional one, we can propose that we be responsible for attending them. This can allow us to extend the hours since we could show the apartment on weekends, holidays, and when the agencies are not working. 

We can make all these proposals to the agency, but they will not always accept them. Everything will depend on the flexibility they have. However, it is still advisable to negotiate the terms to sell in the most beneficial conditions. 

Can I cancel the real estate exclusivity?

• Exclusivity with real estate must be met
• To cancel an exclusive, we will have to negotiate with the agency
• The legal route is a way to nullify exclusivity, but it is expensive

According to a ruling of the Supreme Court of May 10, 2019, the exclusivity clauses signed between individuals and real estate agents for real estate sale must be complied with.

Therefore, if we have committed to one, we are contractually bound, and we cannot work with another real estate agency. Otherwise, we could still have to pay the agency fees once the apartment is sold, even if it was not the one that the buyer found for us.

While there are some legal avenues to cancel an exclusive contract, this may require taking the case to court, costly and time-consuming. In this sense, if the point is that we are not comfortable with the work of our real estate agency, we can try to re-negotiate with them the terms of the intermediation or wait for the exclusive expiration to change agency.