When you decide it is time to sell your home and move on, one of the first steps is to engage a local, knowledgeable estate agent with an excellent reputation to help handle the sale for you.

You can usually tell if an estate agent is worth their salt as they will have a good reputation. Word of mouth from satisfied customers is a good start. Their longevity and history are another good indication.

Above all else, the estate agent you choose should have plenty of experience and in-depth knowledge of the local housing market. You are very welcome to get a property valuation from more than one estate agent, but it is not as simple as going with the agent offering you the highest valuation for your home.

What you want is an estate agent that will help you get the most from your property and sell it quickly and efficiently without your house sitting on the market for months on end.

More than money
There are estate agents that do have your best interests at heart. They want you to get the best price for your property and the best customer experience and service possible to recommend them to your friends and family.

These are the estate agents that you should trust. They are smart enough to know that if they provide you with outstanding service, you will be more than happy to come back and use them again the next time you want to move and speak well of them to others looking to move.

While it is true that estate agents work off the commission and fees they get for selling your home; it isn’t all about the money for genuine agents.

Listing fees
You need to be careful not to fall for the trap of low estate agent listing fees. Some agents will simply offer the lowest fees to tempt sellers into listing with them.

This isn’t always a good idea, and you could actually find yourself out of pocket rather than saving any money. Low fees can mean poor customer service, with agents doing the least work possible to help you sell your house.

They tend to be unresponsive to your messages and simply want to have as many properties on display as possible to make their business look good.

This is very different to how we operate. We provide a professional high-quality service that one would expect from an Estate Agent who has been working in the local area since 1989.

Property valuations
Another issue that you need to be aware of is an estate agent giving you an inaccurate property appraisal. Some agents will provide you with a valuation that may be too high for the local market, and this could see your house sitting on the market for months without much interest from prospective buyers. Alternatively, a low valuation may mean you are getting less for your home that what it is worth.

The time to market your property is as soon as you have decided to move. If you have found a property that you love and want to buy, you cannot afford to let it slip through your fingers because financially you are not yet in a position to proceed as most vendors wish to accept an over from proceedable buyers. Although this may sound counter intuitive it is better to have an offer on your home even if you have not found a place to buy. The advantages to this are 1: you won’t feel you are under pressure to sell quickly in case you lose your new home, 2: you can be more relaxed about waiting for a higher price, 3: you will be in a stronger position to negotiate when you do find somewhere. Don’t worry about being homeless if you don’t find a property as you do not need to exchange contracts (unless you are happy to rent) until you do find a suitable home. Most serious buyers will be happy to wait.

With our experienced property team, you will get a realistic house price valuation and will get your property noticed. We have an excellent track record of selling local properties at the price or close to the price we value them at.

Professionalism, honesty, and trust
What a seller wants from their estate agent is professionalism, honesty, and trust. With us, you will know that we will do the very best for you. If you get an offer on your property that we think is too low, we will advise you of this.

We work hard for our clients and will actively match your property to potential buyers that we know will be interested in your listing. We have a list of prospective buyers waiting for all types of properties to come onto the market in our area.

We will ensure that your property is proactivity and widely marketed well to attract the right buyers and we will keep you up to date with feedback from your property viewings.

Good communication
We believe that good communication is the core of a client/agent relationship. We are the only people who can speak to all parties involved. i.e., buyers, vendors, and their prospective solicitors. This means that we are often aware of a problem before it becomes a problem and can often deal swiftly to prevent there being an issue with the sale.

Our team will endeavour to ensure that all parties involved have the paperwork and information they need to prevent any hold-ups. This is where our services really shine. Many estate agents only deal directly with their customers and don’t assist with any other parties involved.

Conclusion
At the end of the day, you will want to feel that your estate agent is doing all they can to help you and have your best interests at heart.

Our team will be here for you throughout the entire process, from the day we value your home to the day you complete. Why not contact us today for a friendly, informal chat about your needs.

Click here to get in touch.