The choice of the right estate representative is a critical choice – take your time and ensure that you understand exactly what services are provided and the fees to be charged.
Ask your friends and family about estate agents in Docklands. Find out whether your relatives or friends have had the pleasure of using them and what their experience was similar to. Do not be afraid to look up the reviews of their customers on their recommendation websites.
1. Get suggestions
It may be an obvious first step But ask your family members, friends, and colleagues who recently relocated which estate agents they dealt with and what they were able to say about them.
Also, take a look around your area for “for for sale” as well as “sold” indicators; they’re an effective 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 their services to be investigated independently.
Many estate agents are also be members of trade associations. Being a member means they are required to adhere to a certain code of conduct. This can indicate a higher level of professionalism and dedication. The trade bodies to watch out for include:
Guild of Property Professionals
National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA)
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
It is possible to investigate this without having 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 potential buyer for a home similar to your own. Be aware of the way they conduct themselves and ask you two questions:
Would you be satisfied would you be happy if the property described as yours?
Would you consider buying a home from them?
4. Ask at minimum three agents to assess your property
You can shortlist your agents However, don’t cut too excessively. Make sure you get at least three agents to visit and assess your home.
If you are valuing your home, it’s important to not be overwhelmed by the company who rates your property the most – it could be a scheme to gain your business.
Ideally, you should choose an agent who will to be fair and honest but not one who is going to exaggerate the value of your property and fail to find an offer from a buyer for that price.
5. You can ask these kinds of questions
What’s the price the agent will be charged for sole agent? And when is the tie-up duration? Sole agency means that only one agent has the rights to sell your property for a specified time. If the property is sold through another agent during this time, you’ll still need paying the sole agent the fee, and the agent that actually sold the property. The fees for sole agents vary between 1 to 2.5 percentage of the sales price, and can be tied-in for a time of between eight and ten weeks.
What is the amount that agents be charged for multi-agency? Multi-agency agreements mean that multiple agents will be able to have your property listed for sale, the most successful agency receiving the fee. In general, the cost is somewhere between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent of the sales cost.
How long has the agent been in business and how long has their experience been? An experienced and well-established agent with had experience selling properties within the immediate vicinity of your house is ideal.
What will be the method by which your home will be advertised? Will it be featured in local newspapers? On a property site like Rightmove? Can the agency demonstrate some examples on how they market properties?
Who will oversee viewings? The estate agent will be present at all times during viewings? Make sure to check if they are available in the weekend and evening hours.
6. Choose between multi-agency and sole Then, haggle
Solo agency is more affordable but the net isn’t as broad and there could be less of a chance of a fast sale. Multi-agency can be more costly and means that your property will receive greater exposure, which improves chances of a speedy sale.
You can decide 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 immediately join multi-agency.
Whatever you decide to do Whichever you choose, now is the moment to negotiate. If one agency costs more than other, try to see whether you can negotiate 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. Don’t be afraid of asking questions about the things you don’t understand or disagree with.
8. Check your agent’s performance
After a few weeks of multi-agency, or toward the close of the tie-in time with a single agency assess the performance of your estate agent.
How many viewings have been through? From where? What did they do?
Is the agent advertising the property and has he been doing as well as you would expect?
You can also request an agent’s feedback. If you’ve had no visits, or visits but not received offer, then the realtor may offer an insight. It could be that you’re priced too high, or there’s an area on the property that needs to be improved to attract the sale.
