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Selling Your Home?
Internet:
The internet is a valuable tool in estate agency. But don't be impressed by any "hit" claims. All web-enabled agents are exposed to many buyers, but how well do they qualify those buyers when it comes to discussing your home. It is very easy for a "buyer" to register a passing interest. It takes a well-trained agent to identify those buyers who have a serious and pressing need to move. Find out how easy it is for buyers to use the agent's property search facility by visiting their website yourself. Is it impressive, state-of-the-art, and does it provide useful buying and selling advice?
Property Portals:
Over 80% of buyers use the internet when looking for a property. So you need to be sure that your property is found and promoted - quickly and easily. An agent might have a great website and that's fine, but do they subscribe to the most effective property portals, because this is how buyers are directed to your property when they search using the search engines such as Google, Ask Jeeves, Excite or Yahoo. Four of the UK's market-leading sites are Rightmove.co.uk, Primelocation, Propertyfinder.com and Fish4homes. Good agents list their client' property on one of these, but very few list on all. But if you want maximum coverage leading to more buyers and therefore the chance to achieve the very highest price for your home, then you really should use an agent who subscribes to these major portals.
Home Staging:
If you are going to maximise your chances of selling quickly and at the highest possible price the market will pay, then it makes sense to use an agent who employs a specialist home staging expert. A home stager is trained to work with you to make the very best use of your existing resources to maximise the saleability of your property - critical in a crowded marketplace.
Lettings:
When you are choosing a selling agent, do make sure you choose one who also does lettings. Letting agents have long-term buy-to-let property investors permanently on their books who buy regularly. They know the agent, and they make quick decisions and reliable offers. They prefer to buy through an agency that does lettings because it is easy for them to let out their new investment. Also, many tenants also register to buy. Good letting agents build strong relationships with their tenants and are in a good position to help them buy one of their own selling clients' properties.
It also means that should you decide to rent your property out instead of selling it the same agent can handle both - whichever comes along first!
After-Sales Liaison:
Some agents think the sale is done when a buyer is found, and some sales negotiators are incentivised to arrange sales, but not necessarily to see them through to completion. Many a sale has been lost due to poor follow-up or inadequate liaison with surveyors or solicitors. About 35% of sales arranged in England and Wales fall through (although far fewer than this in our case). So choose an agent that provides a dedicated sales progression service that employs people who are trained to spot potential difficulties long before they arise, and who spend 100% of their time working towards a successful outcome.
Investors in People (IIP):
Agents who take along-term interest in the professional development of their staff tend to attract and retain the best staff in the area, whilst ensuring they are particularly well trained. An agency that has been awarded the prestigious "Investors In People" commendation has proved that it is committed to exceptional service levels internally. This is usually a reliable indicator of professionalism and exceptional customer service levels.
