I was thinking of selling my houserecently and so I invited some local estate agents to value my property. I had thought of selling back in 2008 and had had a couple of valuations then, so I was able to compare charges.

What I want to know is.... how onearth estate agents can charge so much for properties that no longer hold thesame value??  I was mortified when they told me what their fees were, witha straight face too!! Both had flat fees, unless you wanted multiple agency(about which I shall comment another time) of 1800 plus VAT and the other was2500 plus VAT.  This on a property they valued at 75,000 to 80,000 and80,000 to 85,000 respectively.  Where do they get their front?  Oneof them wasn't even going to advertise the property on Rightmove. 

From memory back in 2008 theircharges would have been approx 1500 plus VAT and in those days theproperty could have sold for anything from 89,000 up to 95,000.  Sucha rip off!!

Going to try out UKhousing.com and see if I can save a bundle.

On Tuesday, the news we have all been waitingfor finally came: Britain is officially out of recession.

And while thingsaren't going to improve overnight, I can't help but feel optimistic aboutthe year ahead.

Experts predicted the property market would slump in January, following a rushof home buyers in November and December trying to take advantage of the stampduty holiday before it ended. 

So, with things movingin the right direction, what better time is there to list your properties on directly on www.ukhousing.com and contact potential buyers directly.  

Together we can stop bad estate agents overheating the market and Sell or Rent your property direct.