There has been a sharp increase in home sellers searching for ‘fast sales’, as well as ‘local’ and ‘high-street estate agents’, according to research by GetAgent. 

The estate agent comparison site analysed Google search trends for key terms to see which was top of the list for sellers and which has seen the largest increase since the start of the year. 

The research found the most prominent search term in relation to estate agency at present is ‘quick sale’, with a current Google search score of 11.8. 

‘Best estate agent’ also ranked high (10), as did ‘low cost estate agent’ and ‘low fee’.

However, in terms of a change in prominence for search terms, the biggest increase since the start of the year has been for searches of ‘fast sale’, rising by 489% from a score of 1.5 in January to 8.9 today. 

‘Local estate agent’ has seen an increase of 71%, with ‘high street agent’ increasing by 54% in prominence. 

Other search terms to have seen a notable increase include ‘low fee’ (+44%), ‘low cost’ (+29%) and ‘quick sale’ (+28%). 

‘Cheapest estate agent’ and ‘how to find the best estate agent’ have both fallen in prominence since the start of the year, down by 24% and 26% respectively.

Mal McCallion, COO of GetAgent.co.uk, commented: “It’s clear that current market conditions are having an impact on the priorities of home sellers. 

“With house prices showing signs of decline in recent months and mortgage rates going the other way, the ability to sell quickly is at the top of the list, as well as seeing a sharp increase since the start of the year.”