The latest research carried out by netanagent.com shows that 85% of homeowners are willing to consider using an online estate agent.

The survey shows that with an increase in the competition in the marketplace from online agents, a staggering 96%of homeowners would compare estate agents’ fees and services online if they could, as it would help them to decide which agent to use when selling their property.

In spite of this trend, there is clearly still an appreciation for the services that traditional agents offer, with the main reasons for not using an online agent including a desire to ‘speak to people face to face when dealing with big decisions’ and for ‘local people to sell my house in the local area’.

The findings of the survey also show the challenge faced by estate agents when trying to convince UK homeowners of their property value.

Only 18% of homeowners described estate agents as ‘helpful’, while 20% viewed them as ‘knowledgeable’ and 35% said that estate agents are ‘pushy’. A further 30% perceived them as offering ‘poor value for money’.

In terms of choosing an agent, the survey showed that the fee is the most important factor (56%), while personal recommendation closely followed in second and responsiveness and local knowledge also came near the top of the rankings.

However, the findings crucially show that homeowners expect a lot for their money with a quarter expecting to pay a fee of just 0.5 – 1.0% to cover all estate agency services, compared to the 1.1% national average.

As part of the fee, consumers expect services such as photography (52%) and the listing of their property on property portals such as Rightmove (49%) to be covered, with 10% even expecting the running of open days, 6% video marketing services and 10% virtual tours to all be included as standard.