Real estate: how to choose the right agency to sell?

To sell your house or apartment at the best price, you might be tempted to enlist the help of an intermediary who knows the market well, who can verify that buyers are serious and have the means to finance the transaction. But knowing who to contact isn't easy, especially since the real estate agency landscape has changed significantly in recent years. "The days of going to your agency in the city center to make an appointment are more or less over," says Gabriel Pacheco, co-founder of the Safti network.

It is, of course, still possible to proceed in this way, but the first steps are generally done online, especially since, over the last ten years, networks of agents such as IAD, Safti, Propriétés privées, Efficity, Optimhome or Capifrance have established themselves. Unlike traditional agencies, for example ORPI, Century 21, ERA, L'Adresse, Laforêt, these agents do not have offices to welcome clients. In 2024, “27% of sellers who went through an intermediary turned to an agent,” according to the latest Barometer of real estate agent networks.

Traditional agencies, which real estate professionals call "glass-fronted" in their jargon, in reference to their window displays, claim that their staff is better trained than that of agents and that they are more efficient. But there is no real difference between these two types of intermediaries for someone wishing to sell their property. Like agents, traditional agencies send someone to the property to assess its value, then market it by posting advertisements and holding viewings. Some agencies or agents even offer to draft the preliminary sales contract, while others work with a notary from the outset.

The choice for the seller will therefore first depend on the location of the property. In rural areas and small towns, agents are particularly present , while "glass" agencies are often non-existent. "We set up ORPI Villages to operate in these rural areas," however, qualifies Guillaume Martinaud, president of ORPI. He plans to open around twenty ORPI Villages agencies by the end of 2025. But this is an exception.

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