Have you ever wondered what estate agents do?

Do we just put your house on Rightmove and sit back and relax?

Wouldn’t I be better off selling my house myself, rather than using an estate agent?

Technically yes, in monetary terms, you’d be saving the estate agency selling fees. However, in some cases, there are more important factors than money - remember, you’re dealing with your most valuable asset.

You could give it a go. People do it, of course, they do – but they are few and far between for many reasons and results are far from guaranteed.

Firstly, where would you advertise it? None of the top national property portals accept listings from private sellers, yet the vast majority of buying public start their search online.  It may appear that advertising your house online is pretty straight forward, I have even seen houses listed privately on Facebook. But do you know how best to describe your house to a potential buyer?  Are you on top of the latest trends and do you have the expertise to attract an audience outside of your own friends’ circle? 

If you have found a new property think how you noticed…maybe you first noticed the agents ‘For Sale’ sign outside?  Or you searched on Rightmove or a similar online portal?  Your estate agency will expose your home to thousands of potential buyers, handle viewings and negotiation and will oversee your transaction from start to finish ensuring completion happens as smoothly and as timely as possible with minimal stress.

There is a whole lot more to selling a home though than simply advertising it for sale. Are you aware of your obligations under the new consumer protection legislation? Would you know where to go to get an Energy Performance Certificate? And how would you ascertain the financial circumstances of would-be buyers and their ability to proceed with a purchase?

More importantly, do you really have the necessary negotiating skills and specialist knowledge of the market to secure the best price for your home? This is absolutely key – and it’s something that agents do every single day.

 But it doesn’t stop there. Leaving aside the security implications of letting complete strangers into your home, do you have the time or the knowledge to handle all the viewings yourself, answer any queries and present your home in the best possible light? And where would you turn for all the expert advice and support you need to deal with all the stressful situations that can arise - |Google won’t help you if there is a major query.

Remember too that estate agents liaise with solicitors and financial advisers up and down chains to help prevent and resolve issues on a daily basis.  This behind the scenes work is where we really spend our time, solving problems and keeping the wheels turning so that your sale or purchase does not get overlooked or delayed due to other professionals’ workloads.

It may cost you more money initially to use Orchards Estates, but the timing and expertise involved in a housing transaction are just as, if not more important and if there are delays or queries, using an experienced, award-winning agent like Orchards will definitely save you money in the long run.

When all is said and done, moving house is stressful enough (we have all done it), so wouldn’t it be better for you to spend your time picking out paint and furniture rather than juggling all these things at the same time.  Please, leave it to the professionals and enjoy the excitement of buying your next home, without all the stress.