How do I know if my estate agent is doing enough?
Published 24 September 2026 · 8 min read · By Evren Ergin
Judge your agent on evidence, not on feelings: regular viewing feedback, offers confirmed in writing within two working days, a marketing plan they review with you, and a listing that is accurate and complete. If those are in place and interest is still thin, the issue is more often the price than the effort.
TL;DR
- •A good agent can show you, week by week, how many people viewed, saved and enquired about your home and what happened at each viewing.
- •The Property Ombudsman code requires member agents to pass on viewing feedback within an agreed timescale and confirm every offer in writing within 2 working days.
- •On Rightmove's 21 September 2026 figures the average home takes 64 days to find a buyer and 61% of homes find one, so a few quiet weeks is not a verdict.
- •If the evidence is mixed, a second opinion on your price from competing local agents shows whether the price, the marketing or both need to change.
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What should a good estate agent be doing for me each week?
Before an offer, an estate agent's job is to put your home in front of the right buyers, turn that interest into viewings, and report back to you honestly. Most of that work leaves a trail you can see. So the question is not whether you trust your agent, it is whether the evidence is there.
The Property Ombudsman is the redress scheme most UK sales agents belong to. Its Code of Practice sets out what member agents must do, and it gives you a fair yardstick that has nothing to do with personalities.
What to expect from your agent, and where the standard comes from
| Activity | What good looks like | Where the standard comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Viewing feedback | Recorded after every viewing and passed to you within a timescale you have agreed | The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, section 8b |
| Offers | Passed to you as soon as reasonably possible and confirmed in writing within 2 working days | The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, section 9a |
| Marketing strategy | Reviewed with you regularly, not set on day one and left alone | The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, section 4d |
| Your listing | Particulars agreed with you before marketing, with material information disclosed | The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, sections 7i and 7j |
| Buyer checks | Finds out how each buyer will pay (mortgage, a sale of their own, or cash) and tells you | The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, section 10a |
| Portal honesty | Never manipulates the portals to make your home look newly listed | The Property Ombudsman Code of Practice, section 7n |
How long should it take to get viewings and an offer?
There is no official number of viewings a home should get, because it depends on price, area and season. What exists is a national benchmark for how long selling takes, and it is longer than many sellers expect this autumn.
Selling in autumn 2026: the national benchmarks (Rightmove, 21 September 2026)
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average time to find a buyer | 64 days |
| Further time from sale agreed to completion | 150 days |
| Share of homes on the market that find a buyer | 61% (74% in 2021) |
| By area | 91% Scotland, 71% North West, 56% South East, 42% London |
| Homes sold this year with no asking price reduction | 74% |
| Number of homes for sale | 12-year high for the time of year |
Read those figures calmly. A home that has been listed for three weeks with a handful of viewings has not failed; it is still inside the normal window. A home that passes the two-month mark with little interest is the point where price and marketing belong on the table.
Buyers are active, just choosy. Zoopla's August 2026 index found searches for homes 7% higher than a year earlier, while sales agreed were still 6% lower. More people are looking; fewer are committing, and they are comparing your home with more alternatives.
What's normal, and what's a red flag?
| Normal in a crowded market | Worth raising with your agent |
|---|---|
| A quieter week after a busy first fortnight of viewings | Weeks with no update unless you chase |
| Feedback that is short and blunt | No feedback at all, or the same line after every viewing |
| Advice to review the price after several weeks of thin interest | Pressure to cut the price in the first fortnight, with no evidence |
| Fewer viewings than a spring launch would bring | Poor photos, no floorplan or listing errors that never get fixed |
| An offer phoned through the same day and confirmed in writing | Hearing about an offer late, or never seeing it in writing |
How do I check whether my agent is doing enough?
1. Agree the reporting rhythm in writing
Ask for viewing feedback within 48 hours of each viewing and a short weekly update by email. The Ombudsman code leaves the feedback timescale for you and the agent to agree, so agree one.
2. Ask for the numbers
Request week-by-week figures since your home went live: portal views, saves, enquiries, viewings booked and second viewings. An agent who is working your listing can produce these quickly.
3. Read your own listing as a buyer would
Check the first photo, the floorplan, the description and the material information such as tenure, council tax band and any service charge. Anything wrong or missing costs you viewings.
4. Compare your price with recent local sold prices
Look at what similar homes nearby actually sold for in the last year. If your asking price sits well above that evidence, thin interest is a price signal rather than an effort problem.
5. Ask for the plan if nothing changes
Ask your agent what they will do differently in the next two weeks if interest stays low: a price review, new photos, a wider buyer list or a block of viewings on one day. A good agent has an answer.
6. Check your contract dates before deciding anything
Find your tie-in period and notice period in your terms of business. They decide when you can change course without paying two fees.
7. Get a second opinion if you are still unsure
Competing local estate agents can value your home side by side and tell you whether the price, the marketing or both need attention. Getting valuations does not change your current contract.
Should I get a second opinion on my price and my agent?
If the evidence is mixed, a second opinion settles it. ValuQ gives UK homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents, and you stay anonymous until you choose to connect with one. It is free, always.
One caution, in plain words. Getting valuations does not change your current contract, but instructing a new agent during a sole agency tie-in or notice period can mean paying two fees, so check the contract first. Your current agent could also be one of the local agents who receives the brief.
An agent who is doing enough can show you, in numbers, what they did for your home this week.
How do I keep control of my sale?
- Keep every request and every answer in writing, so the record speaks for itself.
- Judge your agent on activity and evidence, not on reassurance.
- Make price decisions against recent sold prices, not against hope or a rival's asking price.
- Know your tie-in and notice dates before you raise the idea of changing agent.
- Remember the instruction is yours: you decide the price, the pace and who sells your home.
Frequently asked questions
How often should my estate agent update me?
No law sets a frequency. The Property Ombudsman code says member agents must pass on viewing feedback within a timescale agreed with you, and confirm every offer in writing within 2 working days. A short weekly update by email is a reasonable request, and most good agents will agree to it.
How many viewings should I get in the first month?
There is no official benchmark, because it depends on price, property type and area. The pattern tells you more than the number. Plenty of viewings but no offers usually points at price or condition. Few viewings usually points at price or at how the listing looks online.
Can my agent relist my home to make it look new on Rightmove?
Section 7n of The Property Ombudsman code says that manipulating the portals to give the impression a property is new to the market, when it is not, is misleading. A genuine relaunch with new photos or a new price is different, and your agent should explain what is changing.
Is it my agent's fault if my house isn't selling?
Not always. Homes for sale are at a 12-year high for the time of year and only 61% find a buyer, according to Rightmove's September 2026 index. Local agents told Rightmove that accurate pricing from the start is the single biggest factor, so check the price before you judge the effort.
Can I change estate agent if mine is not doing enough?
Usually yes, once your tie-in period has ended and you have given the notice your contract requires. Leave the right way: give notice in writing and ask for a list of the buyers your agent introduced, because that agent may still be owed a fee if one of them buys.
Sources
- [1]Rightmove House Price Index, 21 September 2026 · 2026-09-21 · https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/content/uploads/2026/09/Rightmove-HPI-21st-September.pdf
- [2]The Property Ombudsman: Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents (sections 4d, 7i, 7j, 7n, 8b, 9a, 10a; effective 1 June 2019) · 2019-06-01 · https://www.tpos.co.uk/images/codes-of-practice/TPOE27-8_Code_of_Practice_for_Residential_Estate_Agents_A4_FINAL.pdf
- [3]Zoopla House Price Index, August 2026 · 2026-08-27 · https://www.zoopla.co.uk/discover/property-news/house-price-index/
- [4]Property Industry Eye, Asking prices bounce back as estate agents battle 12-year supply high · 2026-09-21 · https://propertyindustryeye.com/asking-prices-bounce-back-as-estate-agents-battle-12-year-supply-high/
- [5]National Trading Standards, Material information in property listings · 2023-11-30 · https://www.nationaltradingstandards.uk/work-areas/estate-agency-team/material-information/
Terms in this article
Plain-English definitions from the ValuQ property glossary.
Redress scheme
A redress scheme is the independent complaints body every UK estate agent must belong to by law, empowered to order compensation.
Material information
Material information is anything a buyer needs to make an informed decision, which agents are required to include in listings.
Terms of business
Terms of business are the contractual small print of your conveyancer's engagement: liability, payment, file storage and termination.
Viewing feedback
Viewing feedback is what buyers tell the agent after seeing your home, reported back to you.
Council tax band
A council tax band is the valuation category, A to H, that sets a home's council tax, based in England on 1991 property values.
Price reduction
A price reduction is lowering the asking price of a home already on the market to restart buyer interest.
Service charge
A service charge is the leaseholder's share of the building's running costs: maintenance, insurance, cleaning, lifts and management.
Tie-in period
The tie-in period is the minimum time an agency agreement locks you to one estate agent.
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