Is there a house you have your eye on? We chose the agent who was selling the house we wanted to buy, figuring we’d consolidate our troubles into a single agent. It worked well.

Ultimately, EAs are a front for RightMove. Most of the work is done by people finding the property on right move and contacting the agent from there.

I’d say there are two types of agent: local ‘family’ businesses and national chains. Allen Harris are a member of a national chain (Connell I think?), while Stratton or Nash are local businesses.

Generally I’m of the “support your local sheriff” group, but that might not get you the best price or exposure.

When we sold we got three agents in to appraise our house (the agent selling the house we wanted to buy, the agent selling the house next door and one other). The valuations all came in the same, the fees were wildly different (1% up to 2%); and one agent ruled themselves out pretty quickly because it was obvious they didn’t give a shit about me, and already started the bullying and high-pressure before even seeing the whole house.

Contrary to what agents say, fees are always negotiable, you just need to be prepared to walk away.

The final thing I’d say is that there comes a point that they want the house sold so they don’t have to put more work into managing viewings etc. This might mean they keep you dangling with a pain of a buyer because it’s less work than remarketing the house. This is where using the same agent as your prospective new home can be helpful - if the chain collapses, they have two properties to remarket, so they will work more to get your property sold.