The Bourne & Co Accountability Promise

Honest advice, backed by our fee.

Most estate agents win your business by telling you what you want to hear, then quietly push for a price cut once your home is sitting unsold. We do the opposite. We price your home on the evidence, and we put our own fee on the line behind that advice. Here is exactly how it works.

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Why It Exists

The problem with most valuations.

When an agent wants your instruction, the easiest way to get it is to quote the highest figure in the room. It feels great to hear. The trouble comes later. An overpriced home sits on the portals, attracts few viewings, goes stale, and almost always ends in a reduction, often selling for less than a sensibly priced home would have achieved in the first place.

We think that is the wrong way round. Our job is to tell you the truth about your home and price it on real evidence. To prove we mean it, we tie our own fee to that advice. If we get the price right, everyone wins. If we ever have to recommend a reduction, we feel it too.

Our Promise

Instruct us at our recommended launch price, and if we ever recommend reducing it, we reduce our fee by the same percentage as the reduction.

How It Works

Four simple steps.

1
We value on the evidence

Your recommended launch price comes from completed sold prices, comparable homes and a 100-point check. No flattery, no guesswork.

2
You instruct within 2.5%

List with us at, or within 2.5% of, that recommended price and the Accountability Promise is active from day one.

3
We market and review honestly

Through the accountability period we track viewings, feedback and offers, and tell you straight how the price is performing.

4
If we advise a cut, our fee drops too

Should the evidence say the price needs to come down, we reduce our fee by the same percentage. Getting it right is on us, not just you.

A Worked Example

Let us put real numbers on it.

Imagine we recommend launching your home at £300,000. Our fee at that price is 1.5% plus VAT. Six weeks in, the evidence says the price needs to come down by 5%. Because that reduction is one we recommend, our fee comes down by 5% too.

At launch
Launch price£300,000
Our fee£5,400 inc VAT
After a 5% reduction we recommend
New price£285,000
Our fee£5,130 inc VAT

We share the cost of getting the price right. That is what keeps our recommendation honest from the very first day.

Good To Know

Your questions, answered.

How do I qualify for the promise?
Instruct us to sell your home at, or within 2.5% of, our recommended launch price. That is all. The Promise then applies for the agreed accountability period.
What counts as a price reduction?
A reduction we recommend to you in writing during the accountability period. If we advise dropping the price and you agree, our fee falls by the same percentage as the reduction.
What if I want to launch higher than you recommend?
You are always free to. But if you launch more than 2.5% above our recommended price, the Promise does not apply, because the launch price was not the one the evidence supported.
Is the fee reduction based on the original or reduced fee?
We reduce our fee by the same percentage as the price reduction. A 5% price cut means a 5% smaller fee. See the worked example above.
Why would an agent do this?
Because it keeps us honest. If we were tempted to over-value to win your instruction, it would be our fee on the line later, not only your time. It lines our advice up with your result.
Does this replace a formal valuation or survey?
No. Our valuation is an evidence-based market appraisal, not a RICS Red Book valuation, survey or legal advice. The Promise is about standing behind our pricing advice.

Ready to see the evidence for yourself?

Get a free, evidence-based valuation within 24 hours. Honest advice, the workings shown in full, and our Accountability Promise behind every figure.

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This page explains the Accountability Promise in plain English. The Promise applies when you instruct Bourne & Co within 2.5% of our recommended launch price, and any fee reduction matches a price reduction we recommend during the agreed accountability period. Figures shown are illustrative. Full terms form part of your agency agreement. Our valuation is an evidence-based market appraisal, not a RICS Red Book valuation, survey or legal advice.

What Our Clients Say

People who trusted us with their homes.

★★★★★

We sold our house with Bourne & Co and were delighted with the process. With a lot of estate agents, you're just another number — but Simon and his team treated us like a member of the family.

Mr & Mrs Hutchinson
★★★★★

I've been using Bourne & Co to manage my properties for a long time. I know my houses are in good hands. They're professional with superb communication via WhatsApp.

Mr Carlisle
★★★★★

We were so grateful to Bourne & Co for helping us find our dream house. Lanchester is a wonderful place to live and we couldn't have done it without their support and local knowledge.

Mr & Mrs Smith