The choice of the right estate representative is a critical choice – take your time and ensure that you understand exactly what services are offered and the fees to be charged.
Ask about estate agents. See whether family members or friends have had the pleasure of using them and what their experience was similar to. Be sure to see the comments of their clients on their recommendation websites.
1. Get suggestions
This might seem like a good first step But ask your relatives, friends and colleagues who recently moved , which estate agent they dealt with and what they considered of them.
Also, take a look around your neighborhood for “for to sell” or “sold” indicators; they’re an excellent indicator of agents who are active within your local area.
2. Verify the credentials of your company
Estate agents must be a member of The Property Ombudsman Scheme which permits complaints made against them to be investigated by an independent party.
A lot of estate agents in Limehouse will be members of trade associations. Being a member means they are required to adhere to a certain code of conduct that can indicate a higher level of professionalism and dedication. The trade bodies to watch for include:
Guild of Property Professionals
National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA)
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
You ought to be able to find out more about this without needing to go to an estate agent’s office. The members of the schemes are ranting over it in their blogs.
3. Go undercover
Contact your estate agents you have shortlisted as a prospective buyer searching for a home similar to your house. Take note of the way they conduct themselves and ask you two questions:
Would you be content If the property that is being described as yours?
Would you consider buying a home from them?
4. At minimum three agents to assess your property
You can shortlist your agents However, don’t cut too significantly. You should try to get at minimum three agents to visit and assess your home.
If you are valuing your home, it is important not to get overwhelmed by the company who rates your property the most – it could be a scheme to gain your business.
Ideally, you want an agent that is going to be fair and honest and not going to exaggerate the value of your property and fail to find buyers at that price.
5. You can ask these kinds of questions
What is the cost that agents cost for sole agency? And when is the tie-up time? Sole agency refers to the situation where only one agent has the rights to sell your property for a specific time. If the property is sold through another agent during this time, you’ll have be liable to the sole agency for for their fee, and the agent that actually has the property sold. The fees for sole agents could range from 1.5% to 2.5 percent of the sale price, and can be tied-in for a time of between eight and ten weeks.
What is the amount that agents cost for multi-agency? Multi-agency arrangements mean that many agents will include your property for sale, the winning agency receiving the fee. The typical cost is somewhere between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent of the purchase cost.
How long is the agent in existence and how long has their experience been? An experienced and well-established agent with had experience selling properties close to your house is ideal.
What will be the method by which your home will be advertised? It will be advertised in the local newspaper? on a property site like Rightmove? Can the agency demonstrate some examples on how they promote properties?
Who will oversee viewings? The estate agent will be present for all viewings? Find out if they are available in the weekend and evening hours.
6. Select between multi-agency or sole agency Then, haggle
Sold agency is less expensive however the net isn’t as far and there might be fewer chances of a fast sale. Multi-agency is more expensive and means that your property will receive greater exposure, which improves the likelihood of a fast sale.
It is possible to begin as a single agency then moving to multi-agency after the time the tie-in period is over. You can also choose to go straight into multi-agency.
No matter which one you pick Whichever you choose, now is the time to bargain. If one agency costs more than other, try to see how you can bring their prices down.
7. Check out carefully the conditions and terms of this agreement
Be sure to read all of the small print prior to signing any contract. Be sure to ask questions about the things you don’t understand or disagree with.
8. Check your agent’s performance
After a couple of weeks for multi-agency, or toward the close of the tie-in time in the case of a sole agent, assess the performance of your estate agent.
How many viewings have seen? Where did they come from? What did they do?
Have the agents been selling the property and is he performing as well as you would expect?
You can also request comments from your agent. If you’ve had no views, or you’ve had viewings , but no offer, then the realtor may provide insights. The reason could be that your price is too high, or there’s an area on the property that needs to be improved to attract an offer.
Menu