Date Published 27 February 2024
Did you know, the top 3 most common complaints about Estate Agents are:
No 1: Lack of Communication
No 2: Over Promise – Under Deliver
No 3: Lack of Knowledge about the property they are selling.
Anyone can be an estate agent.
They are not required by UK law to be licensed or qualified. And yet we entrust our single biggest financial asset in life with just any Tom Dick or Harry...it's bonkers!
So how do you choose the right estate agent?
Many will tell you they are the best because they list the most houses/have the biggest database/own multiple offices... but in our experience, bigger isn't always better.
When someone says they are "So busy" what does that make you think? Frantic, rushed, lack of care, no time for you...?
Here's our top 3 tips to choosing an agent:
No 1: Mystery-shop them.
Pick up the phone and call them about a house they are listing.
Do they register your details properly and understand what you are looking for? Are they knowledgeable about the house they are listing?
Are they proactive or passive?
Book a viewing. When they say they will call back, do they?
How do they behave on the viewing? Informative? Or just open the door and let you in?
All this matters. Do they deal with enquiries, even after hours?
No 2: Think about what's important to you and how you want the relationship with your estate agent to be.
Let them get on with it or collaborate and consult together?
How often do want them to communicate and by what means?
Do they manage the whole process, or will you have passed from person to person, department to department?
No 3: What is the agent's motivation?
To get the listing at high price?
To list as many properties as possible to meet their targets?
To hand over to a junior or weekend salesperson once you're listed. Or is it that your needs are their priority?
Do they understand your motives for selling and aspirations for your future home?
Do they know what you NEED?
At the end of the day, liking the agent you work with helps greatly and when expectations are clearly managed for both, it makes for a successful partnership.
If you would like to know the value of your home, give Sophie in Sales a call today on 01480 573109. You'll be so glad you did.
