What to look out for when choosing an estate agent
You have many decisions to make when considering putting your home up for sale.
Firstly, will you move? Yes, so you need a valuation. Which agents will you invite to provide you with this valuation? Ok, the decision has been made, and the valuations are booked, but this is just the start.
You have many decisions to make when considering putting your home up for sale.
Firstly, will you move? Yes, so you need a valuation. Which agents will you invite to provide you with this valuation? Ok, the decision has been made, and the valuations are booked, but this is just the start.
After the valuation appointments, you are left with perhaps the most significant decision - which agent will you choose to sell your home?
Each agent will have a slightly different approach. They will each have a different view of the market conditions and maybe even a different opinion on the value of your home.
But, suppose you know how much you want to sell the property for. How do you know that you are choosing the right agent? Indeed they all do the same thing. So you can select the agent with the cheapest fee?
Wrong.
Every agent will work in an entirely different way to market a property. They will vary in how they use software and technology to attract buyers. And they will use other terms in the contract that you need to be aware of.
- Contract. The terms of an agreement to sell a property are important. Does the contract say 'sole agents,' meaning you can only market the property with that individual company, not multiples? Or does it say 'ready, willing and able buyer', which means that the agents will be due a fee if they find you a buyer, even if you change your mind and decide not to sell (an expensive phrase to overlook)?
- Tie-in periods. Contracts have tie-in periods to give the agent a fair chance of selling the property. How long do you have to keep your property on the market with that specific agent?
- Fee structure - is the fee charged upfront before the property is sold? Or is the fee performance-based, meaning the agent will only charge you if they successfully sell the property for you?
- Up-front marketing costs. Will there be any costs you need to consider to put the property on the market? Will you need to pay for the photographer? Videographer? Brochures? For sale board?
- Strategy. Is there a plan for how the agents will market your home, ensuring they achieve the best price for you? Or will they take some photos and put them on Rightmove, hoping for the best that a buyer will see it and make you an offer? Selling a home is a skill and not something to be taken lightly. Over the years in business, the Christopher Stokes team have honed and perfected our marketing plan, our 30-day cycle. Hard-hitting marketing, viewings, offer negotiation, then sale agreed. Your marketing is renewed, reviewed and refreshed every 30 days to ensure your property sells.
- Viewings. A vital element of any property sale is the viewings. No buyer will buy a property without seeing it first. But this can take considerable time, and you also have work and family to think of. At Christopher Stokes, we accompany all viewing appointments for our clients. After all, it is better to put the sale of your most valuable asset in a professional's hands rather than trying to find time to squeeze a viewing into your already busy life.
Choosing the wrong agent at this stage could result in a stressful experience for you and a lower offer, so you must choose wisely.
Make sure that you know what the agent intends to do for you to find a buyer and sell your property - sticking it on a property website is not enough!
If you have any questions about how we sell properties and our 30-day cycle strategy, get in touch, we would be happy to go through this in detail before you make your decision.