Are you being undercut by other agents?

If you’re consistently losing instructions to agents offering lower fees, you’re not alone. Undercutting is common — but it doesn’t mean you have to lower your standards. It means you need to stand out.

Are you being undercut by other agents? You wouldn’t be alone in having a hard time standing out.  Acaboom was created because of this exact problem. Our founder, Brian Farrell, received three valuations from well-known estate agents. Despite his background in property, he chose the cheapest. Why? None of them explained why they were different.

“I wanted to sell a property I owned twenty miles west of London along the M4 corridor. I invited the top three agents in the town to give me a valuation. I was comfortable paying up to 1.75% to the agent that was clearly the best and would get me the best price.What happened next left me confused.

 

Each appointment went much the same way starting with a general chat, followed by a look around the property and finishing with the valuers’ thoughts on price. Each had a Best Price Guide to give me, and one did not even have the pages stapled neatly together; it struck me as obvious that he had run out of the office late for the appointment. Funny how you remember these things.

After the completion of all three valuations, these were my lingering thoughts:

• No agent stood out. In fact, I was astonished that none of the agents tried harder to make it clear why I should instruct them over a competitor.
• I was left confused. Valuations varied by circa 10%. As an ex-agent I was better placed than most to understand the way things worked, yet I had no idea which assessment was most likely to be right. What I need was more information how each had arrived at their valuation figure, so I could make an informed decision about the right asking price.
• As time passed, I remembered less about what each one had said. I considered going ahead with the highest valuation and the lowest fee.

That insight led to the creation of Acaboom: a tool designed to help agents justify their value at the market appraisal and in follow-up proposals, with visuals, proof, and clarity.

Use visuals to prove your value

It’s not enough to say you’re better. You have to show it.

Take photography, for example. Most agents say they offer great photos. But the mistake? Showing only good ones. Stand out by showing different properties, conditions, styles — and let the visual evidence do the talking.

Acaboom’s built-in photo slider makes it easy to highlight this. Show before-and-after images or a variety of photography examples that demonstrate quality and consistency.

See how the Acaboom photo slider works

Don’t be undercut – show your USPs

If you offer 360 virtual tours, video walkthroughs, or interactive proposals, show them in the appointment and again in the proposal. Being undercut by other agents is often down to presuming a client knows what a 360 tour is!

Are you faster to sell, or do you achieve higher prices? Present that visually using graphs, charts, or animations — remind the vendor you’re not just another agent. You’re the right choice.

Learn how to use interactive proposals

Show the difference — and back it up with stats

Vendors often claim they want quality over cost, but many still default to the cheapest because the value wasn’t clearly explained.

According to studies from industry leaders like Peter Knight, price is rarely the deciding factor when value is shown clearly.

The challenge? Many agents don’t differentiate. Being undercut by other agents is a natural consequence. That’s why tools like Acaboom exist: to help you sell your service visually, persuasively, and memorably.

Simple tips to stop losing on fees by being undercut by other agents

• Use a branded proposal that reinforces your expertise
• Include stats on time to sell or price achieved compared to market average
• Add animations or property videos that keep attention
• Show before-and-after photography with sliders
• Remind the seller of what makes you unique

Read: Estate Agent Valuation Tips

More estate agent advice

• Appraisal Toolkit for Estate Agents
• Interactive Appraisal Presentations
• Appraisal Checklist for Estate Agents