Abstract (EN)

This paper aims at explaining the determinants of using an estate agent vs. conducting a private sale on the French housing market. From a survey that collected 4,142 responses relating to effective completed transactions, the results show that the decision of whether to use an estate agent is not explained by the physical or spatial features of the property or socio-demographic variables. But by buyers’ and sellers’ heterogeneous perceptions of whether it is worthwhile to use estate agents, of how far they feel themselves having market expertise, and their wish to complete quickly. Five perceived transaction costs explain why buyers and sellers use brokerage intermediation, in a consumer’s standpoint.