Purple Bricks – Reviews and Complete Guide

How Does Purple Bricks Work?

Operating UK-wide, Purple Bricks is one of the largest online estate agent companies in the country.

Unlike other estate agencies, the organisation has no “shop fronts” to speak of. Purple Bricks sells property purely via its online platform with “Local Property Experts” acting as on-the-ground estate agents.

The company’s site operates similarly to property portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla. Users search by location, filter by property type and sort by date. You can also narrow the search down to focus on lower or higher value properties.

However, instead of acting as a third party platform – displaying properties up for sale via other online or high street estate agents – Purple Bricks only lists its own properties.

As a home buying company, we frequently receive enquiries from sellers who already have their properties advertised with Purplebricks.

Many are attracted by the relatively competitive fees, particularly compared to traditional high street agents.  Purplebricks have also invested heavily in marketing.  As a result of prime-time television exposure, for instance, they have arguably become a household name.

Average Sale Time

It is not clear how long Purple Bricks takes to sell when compared with estate agencies.

The only information we were able to access dates all the way back to 2014. The company claimed that their average time nationwide was just under six weeks. In the previous year, it typically took them almost nine weeks.

It is worth noting, however, that if Purple Bricks do not sell after ten months, they will continue to market the property for you until it is sold (i.e. completed).

You will still be required to pay their set fee, but they will continue to provide their services at no additional cost. We would highly recommend reading the small print and confirming this with their agents before moving forward.

Our speed of house sale tool shows how long properties take to complete in England and Wales.  This is from initial listing on the UK’s major house sale portals through to officially classed as sold at HM Land Registry.

The Purple Bricks Property Selling Process

1. To begin selling via Purple Bricks, you as the homeowner must first arrange a valuation with the company. This may be virtual or in-person;
2. A Purple Bricks property expert will then send through a free valuation, explaining how much they feel your home is worth in the current property market;
3. You can then instruct Purplebricks to place the property on the market. You may either pay an upfront fee to do so or defer that fee for up to 10 months.  This latter option will cost more;
4. The company will then visit your home to take pictures and then set up your property listing their site.  This will including floorplans and a description;
5. As and when buyers express interest in the property, you can choose whether to manage visits on your own or request accompanied viewings with Purple Bricks. You can also access in-person and virtual viewings (with Purple Bricks’ local agents) – but these do incur an additional cost;
6. Once you have accepted an offer through Purple Bricks’ online portal, the company’s Post-Sales support team will assist you with all the necessary processes.

Purple Bricks’ Conveyancing Service

Purple Bricks does not include conveyancing in its fees. However, they do have their own selected conveyancing specialists that they encourage clients to use.

If you choose to instruct your own solicitor instead, you will not be eligible for the online estate agents’ Pay Later with Conveyancing service. You may also incur a service charge.

This amount appears to be £360 at the time of writing, according to various online sources.

Be also aware that estate agency sales (through Purple Bricks or otherwise) are often slow relative to using a sell house fast company, traditional auctioneer or modern method auction company.

A Quick Note on Purple Bricks’ Property Valuation Process

It’s very common to see overpriced properties marketed under the Purplebricks banner.

Much often comes down to local experts making speculative valuations in order to win business.

This can sometimes work in your favour – particularly in a strong (or “sellers”) market. However, by and large, unrealistically priced properties end up staying on the market for longer than they should.

Before listing your property with Purple Bricks, it’s worth undertaking some detailed research yourself.

Check out our guide on how to value your house for FREE using HM Land Registry sold price data.

Remember, you decide what asking price you should market the property for – a decision that should be made on the back of checking the real facts.

Purplebricks Fees

As of February 2023, the fixed upfront fees for Purplebricks’ services rose significantly – from £1,999 in the Greater London area to £2,999. The costs for sellers in other parts of the country rose by a similar amount, jumping up by approximately £1,000 from its initial rate of £1,199.

Sellers can also opt for a “Pro” package, which involves Purple Bricks handling unlimited viewings on their behalf. Previously available for £2,499 in London, the company’s price hikes saw the cost of package rocket to £3,999 in the Greater London area in February 2023 – again, with prices for the rest of the country rising similarly.

They will also charge you an additional fee if you wish for them to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or if you would like to upgrade to a “Featured” property or “Premium” listing with them, or a combination of the two.

Replacement boards and an Interactive 3D tours as part of your listing will also be charged on top of the initial costs.

Purplebricks Costs vs. High Street Estate Agents

One of Purple Bricks’ main selling points is the cost savings their clients benefit from using their services.

Relative to high street estate agents in certain parts of the UK such as the midlands and the north, the difference is not massive.  However, in London and the south, the savings are notable.

Note that Purple Bricks scrapped the money back guarantee meaning that if the property doesn’t sell, Purple Bricks will keep the fee.  This means that if change your mind or you can no longer sell for whatever reason, you cannot claim anything back.

Also, with traditional estate agents, there are no limits or costs for viewings.

It’s worth noting that most other online estate agents (excluding ourselves) adopt a similar pricing model to Purple Bricks

Purple Brick Houses for Sale

The main place to find properties marketed by Purple Bricks is via the Property Search page.

Here you can enter the town, city or postcode as well as the radius, property type, minimum/maximum prices and bedroom numbers.

It’s also worth selecting the “Show Sold Subject to Contract (SSTC)” button – particularly as a means to check where prices may be in the local market. As mentioned above, we always recommend using Land Registry data as asking and sold house prices often do not match.

Purplebricks also advertise houses and flats on all the major portals such as Rightmove, Zoopla and On the Market.  On these platforms, you’ll also see a wider range of properties for sale through other online agencies and high street operators.

Purplebricks Reviews

Purple Bricks claims to be the “most reviewed estate agent ever”. Indeed, it has a huge number of writeups on its Trustpilot page.

Positive reviews make up the majority of the company’s feedback on this platform. 87% of users rated Purple Bricks 5 stars, while 6% rated the company 4 stars.

3-star and 2-star reviews each make up just 1% of the total feedback, while 1-star reviews constitute 5%.

This gives Purple Bricks an overall rating of 4.4 stars – a fairly good result considering it has been reviewed many more times than most other estate agencies on Trustpilot.

The company also boasts a majority of positive reviews on Feefo, although there is a notably lower amount of feedback on this review site.

Throughout its time on Feefo, Purple Bricks has amassed 15,554 reviews. In the past year alone, the company has received 2,568 service ratings on the platform, with 1,902 5-star reviews, 263 4-star, 121 3-star, 91 2-star and 191 1-star ratings.

Similarly to its Trustpilot account, Purple Brick’s average rating on Feefo is 4.4 stars.

It is worth noting, however, there aren’t such glowing reviews on Reviews.io and allAgents – the specialist estate agents review site. On these platforms, the company has received an overall rating of 1.3 stars and 1.2 stars from 469 and 447 reviews respectively.  There are also very few property buyer reviews across the board.

What’s more, allAgents users have given Purple Bricks scores of 42% for sales valuation accuracy and 46% for lettings valuation accuracy – along with just 22% lettings fee satisfaction and 24% for sales fee satisfaction.

Purple Bricks Review on Watchdog

Notably, Purple Bricks featured in an episode of the BBC TV show “Watchdog” back in 2017 where their “local property experts” received criticism for not being “local” at all. One case study revealed that a particular “expert” in fact lived 30 miles away from the location in question.

Due to this, and because it is such a large organisation, Purple Bricks will not have the same local expertise as their high street counterparts, nor is it likely to offer that personal touch.

The watchdog episode also explored issues of false advertising by the company. Indeed, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has banned many of the statements made by Purple Bricks in the past.

Another revelation was the matter of Purple Bricks’ deferred fee service, which was, at the time, considered to be misleading.  The programme commented that it was not initially made clear that, in order to qualify, the seller must use Purple Bricks’ own conveyancing service.

The service also constituted a loan arrangement with an external financial services company – something that was also not initially sufficiently clarified.

Purple Bricks – Positives and Negatives

It’s worth taking an impartial view on the various pros and cons of using Purple Bricks to sell your house…

The Positives

Good Reviews on Some Platforms

As mentioned above, the organisation has received very few negative reviews across Trust Pilot and Feefo. This suggests excellent customer service and a well-honed system.

Established and Regulated

Purple Bricks is a highly recognisable brand.

It is regulated by The Property Ombudsman (TPOS) and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) as well as being a member of Propertymark.

This means that your interactions with this online estate agent will be secure and protected.

Comparatively Affordable

Certain elements, such as a Purple Bricks for sale board, are included in the price of the company’s services.

The company also conducts a full marketing review of your property every 28 days. This ensures that they can actively promote it in the most effective manner.

Despite the upfront (or deferred) costs, Purple Bricks’ property selling services are by and large cheaper than those of standard high street estate agents.

The Negatives

Lack of Clarity

Many of the costs inherent in using Purple Bricks as your estate agent are not made clear on their site – or indeed anywhere online. The situation regarding conveyancing fees is particularly murky.

It’s also hard to clarify just how long they are likely to take when selling your house.

Poor Reviews on Certain Sites

One interesting question is how Purplebricks reviews can be so positive on one platform and so negative on another.

While multiple reviews across Trustpilot and Feefo have resulted in the company achieving 4.4 stars on each site – making it one of their highest rated estate agent companies. However, users on Reviews.io and allAgents have provided a significantly lower rating for the same service.

Lack of Knowledge of Your Local Area

So how does Purplebricks compare to using traditional estate agents?

While on paper, the services of a Purple Bricks “local property expert” sounds like a great resource.  It can ensure, for instance, that the organisation can keep up with trends and understand property sales in each particular neighbourhood.

However, it has been proven that this approach is not always effective – particularly given the lack of real industry experience of many of the staff.

Purple Bricks is Not “No Sale, No Fee”

As mentioned above – while the company once offered a “money back guarantee” if they failed to sell a property, this has now been withdrawn. This means that Purple Bricks is not a no sale, no fee option.

There are More Affordable Options

What’s more, there are far cheaper property selling options out there, including other online estate agents and fast home buying companies that can buy your property faster, without charging you a penny!

In Conclusion

While Purple Bricks has long been hugely successful as an estate agent in many respects, and while its fixed fee setup does appeal to many sellers, its track record is not without controversy.

From “local property experts” operating 30 – 40 miles outside of the relevant neighbourhood, to claims of false advertising, legal action and major problems with their associated conveyancing specialists, the company’s operations are not always the smoothest.

As a result, we believe that Purple Bricks online estate agents may be a suitable choice for some sellers – but not all.

If you are seeking a property specialist with good local knowledge, we would suggest using a local or online estate agency with a proven track record. If you wish to sell your property fast, with no agency or conveyancing service fees, opt for a trusted fast home buying service.