Choosing the right agent to market your home can prove a challenge, particularly when your area may be saturated with estate agencies. From the outside, it may appear as though each agency offers the same service. Dig beneath the surface, however, and there are many more factors to consider.
Home owners with a slightly more niche property or a higher value home may, for example, be tempted to use an agent which has its head office in London in order to draw in the London buyers. This can, however, result in you relying on the agency’s most local office for contact and viewings and sometimes this office can be over 25 miles away from your home. As a consequence, you may find that your agency of choice have little knowledge of your home location and surroundings and rely upon you to conduct your own viewings. They may also struggle to establish an accurate price for your home owing to a lack of experience in your locality. You may also find that you have been locked into contract with the agency for up to twenty weeks with a further four weeks notice period to be given after initial the contract period expires. This can be particularly distressing for sellers who discover that they made an unfortunate choice of agent.
A local and independent estate agency, however, will be able to overcome a number of these issues immediately. They should be able to conduct all the viewings for you which eliminates any awkwardness between buyer and seller in what is essentially a business transaction. They should also have enough expertise and local knowledge to give you an accurate price to pitch your property on the market. Ask your estate agent for comparable evidence to back up their views on the value of your home. The successful agent should be able to provide this evidence along with sales prices in the local area over the last year in order to give your property the best chance of standing out. They should also be able to provide you with an up to date review on how the local market is performing and therefore be able to manage your expectations.
Local, independent estate agencies also benefit from applicant databases of buyers – both local and out of area relocators – who they can contact as soon as your home is ready to market. This same service is rarely offered by online agencies who will list properties at vastly reduced fees – payable upfront - whilst promising to sell your home and save you money. What this really means is that your home is being advertised online and you will rely purely on the right person spotting your home on Rightmove or Zoopla. If the agent in question takes the photographs themselves, your home is likely to merge in with all the other listings rather than standing out. Equally, larger estate agencies who offer the promise of the deep pocketed ‘London Buyer’ may only have a handful of buyers to contact. They may also discover that it is difficult to persuade them to drive a couple of hours out of London to view your home if, indeed, your home is in the right area of the country for their house hunters.
Investigate and research your local estate agents. It might be that you ‘click’ with the lister who comes to give you a market appraisal. Excavate a little further: ask about the team who will be selling your home. Will they conduct the viewings themselves? How do they manage their client database and look for prospective buyers? Do they currently advertise properties through all the right portals such as Rightmove, Zoopla and Facebook? Is their office local enough to you for you to have regular marketing meetings? Do they offer professional photography and a walk through video to draw in the right buyers and whittle out the time wasters?
Essentially: is your agent going to work for you, or are you simply just another listing on their book?
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