What Actually Happens After You Instruct an Estate Agent?

Choosing an estate agent is often discussed in terms of asking price, marketing and fees.

All of those things matter.

But there is another question we think homeowners should ask before instructing an agent:

Of the homes you are asked to sell, how many actually make it all the way through to exchange?

Because putting a property onto the market and getting its owners successfully moved are two very different things.

The statistic homeowners rarely see

The English property system is difficult.

A home can be beautifully marketed, attract viewings, receive an offer and be marked as sold — and still never result in its owners moving.

Chains break. Surveys uncover problems. Buyers reconsider. Mortgage circumstances change. Communication fails. Transactions that appeared perfectly healthy can unravel weeks or even months after a sale has been agreed.

That's why we believe one of the most useful ways to assess an estate agent isn't simply how many properties they list or how many boards they have around town.

It's what happens to the people who instruct them.

Recent TwentyEA data for the £1m+ market in CV8 illustrates just how significant that difference can be.

Over the 12-month period from 2 June 2025 to 2 June 2026, Pittaway Thompson received eight instructions for homes over £1m in CV8.

Six went on to exchange contracts.

That's 75% of the homes entrusted to us.

Across the next five agents in the same dataset, there were 22 instructions.

Five went on to exchange.

That's 23%.

We don't share those figures because we think 75% is perfect. It isn't.

We share them because they demonstrate something we think matters enormously when choosing who to trust with your home.

An unsuccessful sale isn't just a statistic

Behind every property that doesn't make it through to exchange is usually a person or family whose life has been affected.

There may have been weeks preparing the house before it even reached the market.

Photography. Tidying. Decorating. Paperwork.

Then come the viewings — keeping the house presentable, rearranging work and weekends, taking children and dogs out while prospective buyers look around.

And somewhere amongst all of that, people start making plans.

They find another house.

They picture themselves living there.

They make decisions about schools, work, family or retirement.

They spend money on solicitors, surveys or mortgages.

So when a transaction falls apart — or a home simply spends months on the market without achieving a successful sale — the cost isn't confined to an estate agent's spreadsheet.

It costs people time, money and emotional energy.

Sometimes it costs them the house they wanted to buy.

And ultimately, they can find themselves back where they started.

So, does an estate agent's fee really matter?

Of course it does.

We would never suggest that homeowners shouldn't consider what an estate agent charges.

But we do think the more useful question is what you are getting for that fee.

If one agent charges less but the likelihood of successfully getting you moved is materially lower, the cheaper percentage doesn't necessarily represent better value.

Likewise, achieving a slightly higher selling price can dwarf the difference between two agents' fees.

Your home is likely to be one of your largest financial assets. For many homeowners, particularly those selling at the upper end of the Warwickshire market, relatively small percentage differences in the final selling price can represent tens of thousands of pounds.

That changes the calculation.

The question becomes less:

“Which estate agent charges the lowest fee?”

and more:

“Which estate agent gives me the best chance of achieving the right result?”

Those are not the same question.

What should happen after you instruct an estate agent?

Good estate agency doesn't end when your photographs go online.

Before launch, there should be thought around presentation, positioning, pricing and exactly who the likely buyer will be.

Once you're on the market, viewings should produce useful feedback and your strategy should evolve according to how buyers are responding.

When an offer arrives, negotiation matters.

And once a sale is agreed, somebody needs to take responsibility for progressing it.

That means communication between buyers, sellers, solicitors, mortgage advisers and other agents in the chain. It means spotting problems early and helping to resolve them before they become reasons for a transaction to collapse.

A “Sold” board isn't the result.

Neither is a Rightmove listing.

For us, the result is our client actually getting to move.

Choosing an estate agent in Kenilworth or Warwickshire

If you're comparing estate agents, asking about fees is perfectly reasonable.

But we'd suggest asking a few other questions too.

How many homes like mine have you been instructed to sell?

How many actually reached exchange?

How often do your agreed sales fall through?

Who will negotiate on my behalf?

Who takes responsibility for my sale once an offer has been accepted?

And what will you actually do differently to achieve the best possible result for me?

The answers tell you considerably more than the percentage written beside “fee” on a valuation letter.

The English property system is flawed, and nobody can guarantee that every transaction will succeed.

But we think there's an enormous difference between putting someone's home on the market and taking responsibility for getting them moved.

That's the job.

Source: TwentyEA. CV8 properties marketed at £1m+, 2 June 2025–2 June 2026. Pittaway Thompson: 6 exchanges from 8 instructions (75%). Next five agents in the dataset combined: 5 exchanges from 22 instructions (23%, rounded from 22.7%).

Coming soon

Why the cheapest estate agent isn't always the least expensive

What does an estate agent actually do after accepting an offer?

Why do some homes sell while others sit on the market?