Yopa

Yopa, a full-service estate agency in the UK

Yopa is a British estate agency that presents itself as a "full-service agency" and combines the support of local agents with digital tools for buying and selling homes. Its proposition is built around fixed fees instead of percentage commissions, with prices starting at £999, and an online portal through which the client can track the process.

Fixed-fee model and savings

The company charges a fixed fee instead of a percentage of the sale price. According to the data it publishes, the "Pay Later" option allows customers to save an average of £2,700 across the UK, while in London the average potential saving it cites is £6,500. To calculate this, it uses a typical traditional agency commission of 1.42% and an average London house price of £528,000 in the fourth quarter of 2022. The company also offers various payment options, including the possibility of paying the fee upfront or later.

Services for selling a home

The sales process described by the agency is organised into four stages. In the first, the local agent visits the property at a time convenient for the owner, values it, explains the pricing rationale and gathers the client's expectations. In the second, the owner instructs the agent to put the property on the market and chooses when to pay. In the third, the listing is published on portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla, and the agent can handle viewings or the owner can conduct them independently. In the fourth, the agent and their team manage offers and negotiate the price with the client's approval until the transaction completes.

The company also offers an instant online valuation for those who do not yet want a visit from an agent, and a moving cost calculator among its digital tools.

Mortgage advice

Yopa states that it searches over 12,000 mortgage products from more than 90 lenders to help clients find a mortgage suited to their needs.

Buying and property listings

In addition to selling, the agency handles home purchases and publishes a catalogue of properties in various areas of the UK. Examples shown include homes in Waltham Cross, Hayling Island, Leeds, Glasgow, York, Montrose, Cambuslang, Neath, Aylesford, Chesterfield, Widnes, Halifax, Altrincham, Redditch, Irthlingborough, Bristol, Gillingham, Nottingham, Barnsley, Rochester, Burbage, Newark, London, Plymouth and other locations, with prices at the time of analysis ranging from £115,000 to £700,000.

Network of local agents and presence

The company emphasises that its agents are local and accessible, and that clients have direct access to them, which it presents as added value of its online service. It has local branches and its own portal, YopaHub, for tracking the process. The company presents itself as an "award-winning agency" and claims to have surpassed 20,000 reviews on Trustpilot.