If you are a high street agent in defensive mood, then you might like to take a look at a blog that marshals six arguments as to the pitfalls of using online agents.

On the website of London agent Mountgrange Heritage, it starts by pointing out that it is the buyer who makes the saving, not the seller.

Why? Because an online agent is unlikely to negotiate hard to get the best price for the seller – and buyers know this and use it to their advantage.

As for managing your own viewings, that can be troublesome: “There is good reason why most agents insist their client is not home during viewings – buyers and sellers should never meet, not in the first instance at least.

“When the vendor is present for a viewing a buyer will feel like they are intruding and will spend much less time in the property and therefore unlikely to pay full attention to all of its virtues.”

Then there is the little matter of progression, not to mention the fact that many buyers have no real idea what they want and that successful deals are often about compromise, choice and opportunity.

The blog ends: “If you think hiring a professional is expensive, just wait until you hire an amateur.”