If you’ve been watching TV over the last few years, you’ve probably seen Yopa and their advertising campaigns.
Often featuring celebrities such as Mo Farah, the ads were a hit and helped position the company as one of the biggest online estate agents in the country.
They’ve been through something of a discovery period, working out exactly what their model is and how much they should charge for their service. However, they appear to have settled down somewhat and offer a level of service fairly typical of online agents.
What They Offer:
At the time of conducting our Yopa review we found their service consisted of the following:
- Choose between pay upfront (cheaper) or pay on completion (safer)
- Get a dedicated estate agent with local knowledge
- Evening and weekend opening hours
- Full-service estate agency
- Listings on major portals such as Rightmove and Zoopa
- Negotiation and sales progression services
There, Yopa present themselves very much as a normal estate agent service, but at a lower cost. Though it must be said their fees have gradually crept up over the years and now is not massively cheaper than high street agents.
They do also offer some additional services too, such as hosted viewings. That can be an essential service if you’re not able to do viewings yourself.
There are various packages to choose from that include different levels of service. However, the biggest decision you’ll need to make is whether you want to pay upfront to save some cash, or pay on completion to play it safe.
Which you choose will depend on your attitude to risk and your budget. Paying on completion is roughly twice as expensive as paying upfront.
How It Works
The process for selling with Yopa is not too different to any other estate agent, online or otherwise.
First, you’ll need to book a free valuation. This will tell you how much your property is worth and give you a chance to ask any other questions you have. If all is good at this point you can instruct the company to list your property for sale.
They’ll make sure your property photos are up to scratch and create the listing for you. You get to approve the listing before it goes live.
You’ll then get a weekly check-up from your dedicated agent and their team and you’ll be able to manage all the viewings and feedback via an online portal.
Once you get an offer, the Yopa agent will help negotiate a price you’re happy with then oversee the sale through to completion.
Advantages of Yopa
Here are just some of the crucial advantages we’ve discovered about Yopa
Multiple Packages
You can choose to pay upfront or pay on completion, with multiple options within each package. This creates flexibility to choose the deal that is best suited to your preferences and requirements.
Option for Agent Led Viewings
There are multiple add on options, including a Viewings Package. This is a great option for those who don’t want or are unable to manage and conduct viewings. This is very unusual for online estate agents, which often leave viewings to the homeowner.
Many Essentials Included as Standard
The Yopa packages include many essentials as standard. For example, a For Sale board is included, which is often considered an optional extra in many online estate agency packages.
Excellent Customer Support
The Yopa customer support team is available seven days a week. In addition to a comprehensive FAQ page on the website, there is a helpline, email address and call back contact form. This allows you to access help as and when any issues arise.
Disadvantages of Yopa
As with any service provider, it isn’t all positive, and there are some potential disadvantages.
Higher Fees in London
Yopa sets higher fees for many postcodes in London. This includes the “No Sale, No Fee” price, which is quite high for London homeowners. This can seem a little unfair, but it is not uncommon for online agencies, which tend to charge more for certain London areas.
Valuations May Slow the Process
Since a Yopa agent comes to your property to perform a valuation, it will slightly lengthen the process. An onsite valuation should not be a major issue, but it is unusual for online agents that often rely on phone valuations and neighbourhood information.
Conditions Attached to Pay Later Packages
If you opt for a Pay Later package, there are some attached conditions. For example, you will need to sign an agreement and receive a conveyancing quote from Yopa’s partner Optimus. This payment will be due when you sell your home, and if you choose not to use this conveyancing service, a fee of £300 will apply. So, it is important to check through the full terms and conditions before you decide which type of package is best for you.
A Closer Look
Yopa aims to save you thousands on the cost of selling your home compared to high street agents. The company offers full online management to put you in control.
Variety of Packages
Yopa offers a variety of packages to suit your specific requirements. Whether you choose to Pay Now, Pay Later or No Sale, No Fee, there is a Core and a Premium Option. The core package includes a professional advert, dedicated local agent, high quality photos, floor plan and for sale board. The premium packages add a premium listing and viewing pack. This allows you to enjoy everything you would expect from an agent, plus some nice additions.
Plenty of Add Ons
You can also further tailor your package with some reasonably priced add ons. This includes featured listings, Energy Performance Certificates, viewing packages, and premium listings. As we touched on above, the premium listing and viewings packages are included in the Premium option for each package. So, if you want both of these options, opting for the Premium package will save you some money.
Viewings Package
The Yopa viewings package is one of the main advantages of using this company. One of the disadvantages of using an online agent is that usually you will need to perform the viewings yourself. This can be daunting for some or difficult to schedule if you have a busy lifestyle.
To address this, Yopa has created a viewing package that allows you to hand over the management and conducting of viewings to the pros.
This service helps to bridge the gap between the services of a traditional estate agency and an online company without the considerably higher costs.
In Person Valuations
Unlike many online agents, Yopa cannot be instructed to sell a property until a free property valuation has been carried out. Therefore, the first step in the process is to schedule your free valuation.
Yopa will arrange to have a local agent conduct a valuation. The agent can also sit down with you to explain the Yopa services in more detail. This includes helping you to determine whether paying the fee upfront or agreeing to pay the fee later is the best option.
The Yopa agent will use the on site valuation to take professional photos and create an advert and detailed floorplan. Of course, you will have an opportunity to approve this advert before it goes live.
This is a more indepth service that is offered by many online agents, which rely on phone valuations and the use of neighbourhood data.
The History
Yopa takes its name from an abbreviation of “Your Property Agent”. This company has been around since 2014 as a completely online estate agency.
Yopa began as a way for customers to pay a reduced fee to list their property on sites such as Zoopla and Rightmove.
These sites only allow professional estate agents to create new listings, so access was restricted if a homeowner wanted to try to cut costs.
However, the Yopa team quickly realised that their early customers also appreciated the human interaction and could benefit from estate agency expertise. This led to Yopa to change their business model, and at the start of 2016, the company rolled out as a full service online agency nationwide.
Despite being a relatively new agency, Yopa quickly attracted big name investors to take the company from strength to strength. Today, Yopa is partnered with local agents in all areas of the UK, allowing its customers to benefit from the personal touch of a traditional agent without the hefty price tag.
How Do They Use PropTech?
The technology used by Yopa is all in their online management platform. Whereas before you’d have to talk to agents to arrange everything, the whole process is much more automated. At the same, more control is given to the seller to arrange convenient viewings and even change their property listing.
This helps to modernise estate agency, though it should be noted that many high street agents are now beginning to move to using software in similar ways.
Yopa Reviews
While some online estate agents have something of a poor reputation, Yopa are actually pretty well-respected and benefit from plenty of positive customer reviews.
