The Fee Conversation Most Estate Agents Are Still Avoiding

Most estate agents say they want to grow, but too many are still trying to do it with the same old tactics, the same old pricing, and the same old confidence levels. That is exactly what Sean Porter realised after 40 years in agency.

When the pandemic hit, Sean’s sales department was hit hard. Like many agents, he tried to rebuild using the methods that had worked in the past. He ordered 40,000 leaflets, had them delivered, and waited for the response to come in.

The result was nothing.

Not a weak response.

Not a few poor-quality leads.

Absolutely zero.

That moment forced a very honest question. Were the old ways still working, or was it time to think differently?

Sean had already seen success on the lettings side of his business using more modern marketing strategies, but he realised he had not properly transferred that thinking into sales. After attending Agency Titans Bootcamp, one of the biggest changes was not just what he did next, but how he thought about the value of his agency.

Before this, Sean’s maximum fee was 1.5%. He believed his agency was worth that, and he was not positioning himself as a cheap agent. But after looking properly at the service, the professionalism, and the value being delivered, it became clear there was room to charge more.

His agency has now introduced a new fee structure starting at 1.75%, moving to 2%, and reaching 2.25% for their higher-level service. The interesting part is that clients did not push back in the way many agents fear. The first instructions started coming in at 1.75%, and the team then began securing 2%.

That is where the real lesson sits. Many estate agents are not losing money because they are bad at what they do. They are losing money because they do not confidently communicate what their service is worth.

At Sean’s average property price, even a small percentage increase can be worth thousands more per sale. Across a year, that can completely change the profitability of a sales department, even before increasing the number of properties listed.

This is the shift many agents need to make now. You do not always need more stock to grow your business. Sometimes, you need to stop undercharging for the opportunities already in front of you.

You need to position the service properly, qualify before the valuation, present your value with confidence, and make sure your team believes in it too.

Sean’s story is a reminder that the market has changed. Vendors have changed. The way people choose agents has changed. So if your fees, marketing, and mindset have stayed exactly the same, that is where the problem may be.

Watch Sean’s full story here and see how changing the way he positioned his agency helped him start adding thousands more per sale.