A seller in Leeds instructing three agencies at once under a multi-agency arrangement is effectively running an auction for who can find a buyer first, and only the winning agency ever gets paid. That structure, still common outside London, shapes almost everything about how a UK agency needs to compete: speed and visibility matter as much as relationships, because a slower agency can do everything right and still earn nothing.
Winning the instruction before you win the sale
Getting a new listing at all is the first hurdle, since a homeowner comparing agencies typically wants evidence of recent local sales, a realistic valuation rather than an inflated one designed to win the instruction, and a clear plan for where the property will actually be marketed. Overpromising on price to win a multi-agency instruction is a common trap that backfires within weeks once the property sits unsold and needs repricing anyway.
Three relationships, three timelines
Homeowners looking to sell are your primary source of commission and respond best to a realistic, well-evidenced valuation delivered with confidence rather than flattery. Buyers searching for a property move at their own pace but convert faster when an agency understands their actual criteria rather than sending every vaguely matching listing. Landlords and property investors think in portfolios rather than single transactions, and an agency that manages one property well is often trusted with several more without any further pitching required.
| Where to list | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Where sellers often check reviews before choosing an agency to instruct. |
| Yell | Still checked by some sellers, particularly outside major cities. |
| Thomson Local | More relevant in towns where it remains a habit. |
| Bing Places | Free listing that also reaches Bing search results. |
| Kompass UK | Only relevant if you also work with commercial property clients. |
A sale is not one decision, it is a chain
English property chains mean a sale can collapse for reasons entirely outside your control, a buyer several links away pulling out, which makes managing a long sales cycle alongside a constant flow of fresh leads essential rather than optional. An agency relying on a handful of live instructions has nothing to fall back on when one chain breaks, and chains break more often than most sellers expect.
Keeping past clients from forgetting you exist
A homeowner who sold through you three years ago is a warm prospect for their next move, or for a referral to a friend, yet most agencies never follow up once the transaction closes. A simple check-in call or a note around the anniversary of the sale keeps your agency top of mind well before that person even starts thinking about moving again.
A method that keeps instructions flowing
Keep your Google profile and reviews current, since a seller comparing agencies checks this before ever picking up the phone. List clearly on the major property portals alongside social media showing recent sales, since visibility across several places at once is what wins an instruction in a multi-agency market. Reach out directly to homeowners in a specific target neighbourhood where you have recent, comparable sales to point to, rather than a generic pitch to anyone who might be thinking of moving.
Budget and patience
A few hundred pounds a month covers a reasonable, consistent marketing effort. A rental can close within days, but a home sale typically takes months from first contact to completion, so judge an agency's pipeline over a season, not a single week. Outside London, where competition for instructions is often less intense than in the capital, that budget tends to go further when spent on winning listings rather than chasing already well-served buyer demand.
Standing out against several agencies on the same road
It is common in the UK for two or three agency boards to sit on the same street at once, and a homeowner comparing them rarely picks based on the sign alone. A specific local track record, recent sales on that exact road or postcode, tends to win an instruction far more reliably than a generic pitch about national coverage or brand recognition.
Checking where instructions actually come from
Reviewing every few months whether new instructions trace back to a Google search, a portal listing, a referral from a past client, or direct outreach helps an agency decide where to put its limited marketing time, rather than assuming whatever worked when the agency first opened is still the strongest channel today.
Where Kaptor fits
Kaptor keeps your agency visible where sellers actually compare their options and helps you stay in touch with past clients long after a sale completes. See how this compares for real estate agencies in Ireland, or start from the finding customers hub for real estate agencies.