News - November 2009

GOOD ESTATE AGENTS, WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD!

27/11/2009 09:54:24

Lets face it, as we continue to deal with what is now the longest recession we have ever known, we are all looking at ways to save our precious pennies. Misguidedly some people think that when selling their home they can take the job on themselves and do not take into account the work and effort that a good estate agent puts in to selling their home.

It is however important to note that 80% of buyers and sellers still turn to estate agents when buying or selling a property. Why? Well about this for starters………….

Price Guidance: A good agent will guide you on the best possible price that might be obtained for your property and the likely price you may have to pay when moving up the ladder.

Negotiating. Negotiating skills are essential if you want the best deal. A good negotiator can make and save their clients thousands of pounds by skilfully extracting the best offer from purchasers and equally the most competitive deal from sellers.

Experience. Never underestimate the value of experience. A good agent can save you thousands by helping you avoid making expensive mistakes when buying or selling a property. They can also answer questions about amenities, schools and other important factors.

Administration. Because agents know the procedure of buying and selling property, they can assist you in completing the time-consuming and often confusing paper work that goes with buying or selling. What with HIPs, PIQs, EPC’s. PMAs etc its enough to confuse anyone!

Advertising: When you work with an agent, you use all their resources including for sale boards, advertising on the internet and newspaper and shop windows. This is a very expensive business and should not be underestimated.

Liaising: Once the deal is done, that is just the start. A good agent will keep in touch with purchasers, vendors, solicitors and lending institutions making sure that the sale is progressed as quickly and efficiently as possible and dealing with any hiccups on the way.

Professionals: Agents know and work with all the associated professionals, ie surveyors, mortgage advisors, removal companies and trades people who can help make the move less stressful.

Paid by Results! If your agent does not sell your property, in most cases they do not get paid! If you sell your own property, all marketing costs are payable before you even start which is an expensive business. There is also no guarantee that your efforts will bear fruit.

Thinking a little differently now? Don’t get trapped into a false economy. Estate Agents can get a bad press but good ones are worth their weight in gold!