Innovative fee structures for estate agents

Over the past couple of years there have been quite a few attempts by estate agents to find more modern fee structures. Fixed fee agencies are becoming more common and the concept of 'menu pricing', where the home owner can choose which elements of a service they would like to pay for, is also emerging.

Simon Ward of Mr Green estate agents is once such agent. His thread on the 4N professional networking website is an interesting debate into fair pricing strategies.

Even those estate agents that are sticking to a percentage based fee have room to innovate. They too can upsell single property websites, or offer reduced fees in line with a lower offer price to reflect an 'if you suffer, we suffer' attitude.

However, perhaps the simplest and most obvious opportunity for flexible fees is the chain-free property. Collapsed chains cause as many as 1 in 3 sales to fall through, particularly in a slow market. Marketing a chain-free property is therefore less of a risk for your business.

Could a special rate for chain-free properties be a good USP for your local market? What do your statistics tell you?