What it costs to sell a house in Birmingham

The estate agent’s fee is usually the headline number, but it is rarely the only cost of selling. Here is what tends to show up on the bill from instruction to completion.

Estate agent fees

Most Birmingham estate agents charge a percentage of the sale price under a sole agency agreement, commonly in the range of 1% to 1.5% including VAT. Multi-agency instructions, where two or more agents compete to sell your property, typically carry a higher percentage to reflect the extra marketing spend and lack of exclusivity. Fixed-fee or online agents often charge a flat amount instead, which can work out cheaper on a higher-value property but may be payable whether or not the sale completes, so read the contract carefully.

Fee model	Typical cost	Paid when
Sole agency (traditional)	Around 1-1.5% of sale price	On completion
Multi-agency	Higher percentage than sole agency	On completion, to whichever agent sells it
Fixed-fee / online agent	A flat sum, regardless of price	Often upfront or on listing

Conveyancing

A solicitor or licensed conveyancer handles the legal transfer of ownership. Costs vary by firm and by the complexity of the sale, and freehold sales are generally cheaper to conveyance than leasehold ones because of the extra paperwork involved in checking lease terms and service charges.

Ask for a fixed quote rather than an hourly rate where possible, and check whether the quote includes disbursements, the third-party costs like search fees and Land Registry charges, or whether these get added on separately. A quote that looks unusually low compared with others is worth double-checking for what it actually covers before assuming it is the better deal.

Energy Performance Certificate

You need a valid EPC to market a property, and it is worth checking yours before you instruct an agent rather than finding out at the last minute. If yours has expired, a new assessment will need to be booked before your agent can list the home, which typically takes a day or two to arrange and complete. A poor EPC rating will not stop you selling, but some buyers do factor likely running costs into their offer, particularly on older properties.

Other costs to budget for

• Mortgage exit or early repayment fees, if you are redeeming your mortgage before its term ends.
• Removals, which scale with the size of the move and the distance involved.
• Any repairs or presentation work you choose to do before marketing, which is optional but can affect how quickly the property sells.

Negotiating the fee

Agents often have some flexibility on their percentage, particularly if your property is expected to sell quickly or you are also buying through the same agent. It is reasonable to ask two or three agents to quote and to negotiate before signing, rather than accepting the first figure offered. Do not judge an agent on fee alone though; a slightly higher percentage from an agent with a stronger track record of achieving asking price can easily work out cheaper overall than a lower fee from an agent who takes months to find a buyer.

Weighing cost against speed and certainty

It is tempting to focus purely on minimising the headline fee, but cost is only one part of the picture. An agent who sells quickly, negotiates well, and keeps a sale on track through to completion can save you money in ways that do not show up on the fee invoice, from avoiding a second round of mortgage valuation fees to reducing the risk of a buyer walking away during a long, drawn-out process. Weigh the fee against the agent’s track record, not just the number itself. If you want to see how these costs fit into the wider timeline, the step-by-step guide to selling a house in Birmingham walks through the whole process from valuation to completion.

These are general ranges, not a quote for your specific property; a valuation visit from a local agent will confirm the actual fee and terms that apply to you.

If you are weighing up whether now is a good time to sell, our homepage tracks current agent activity across Birmingham, and the scoring method page explains how we work out which agents are performing best on service as well as price.