So you’re looking to sell your property. You want to put it on the market and you’re looking for an estate agent to do just that. Choosing the right one is essential in guaranteeing a smooth and successful sale. But how do you know a good estate agent from a bad one?
In this blog we will look to offer you some valuable tips in separating the wheat from the chaff, the professionals from those looking to take you for a ride.
So where do we start?
- Ask for recommendations
An obviously place to start you might think, but you’d be surprised how often people don’t ask those they know about their previous experiences with estate agents. Ask around, maybe someone you know has recently moved house and had a great experience.
Sometimes you don’t even need to speak to someone, take a look in your local area at ‘For Sale’ and ‘Sold’ signs for a good indication of those that are working well in your region.
- Check their credentials
Did you know that estate agents have to be members of The Property Ombudsman? Many will be a member of other trading bodies too such as The Guild of Professional Estate Agents (GPEA), The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
All of these mean that they have to comply with a code of conduct, which suggests a more professional service. You should be able to find this out pretty easily – members will be boasting about this across their websites.
- Go undercover
Why not visit your chosen estate agent as a potential buyer? Ask questions, find out how they operate and deal with customers and ask yourself: would you buy a property from them? And would you be happy if the property they were describing was your own?
- Find out how they will market your property
It’s 2016 and everyone searches for property online as their first port of call (usually), so where will your estate agent be advertising your property? Which portals will they use?
Their website is all well and good, and locally it might work quite well – but it’s the big property portals you want to be on, such as Rightmove. In January 2016, Rightmove recorded their busiest ever month with visits hitting over 100 million for the first time, so not a bad little audience eh?
- How often will you get feedback?
Did you know that as a member of Rightmove we are able to give you personalised reports on the interest being shown in your property? This helps make sure you are always kept in the loop throughout the process.
If you’re thinking about putting your property on the market or simply want to know what it might be worth, get in touch and we can arrange a FREE no obligation appraisal of your property.
To book your no-obligation appraisal at a time to suit you, call our dedicated sales team on 01274 588 158 or email sales@hamiltonbower.co.uk.
