Everyone has their tea differently. Some like it strong, others milky. Some want sugar, others sweetners. Some like it in big mugs and others just want dainty bone china.
No one should tell you that how you have your tea is wrong, so why should people tell you your choice of estate agent is wrong?
Every town has estate agents. They range from corporate franchises through to owner managed independents, self employed lead generation agents who that pass you on to central call centres and specialists who only work with certain types of property. You get online agents, traditional high street agents, hybrid agents and more.
Now in the middle of all this, there is you. A home owner who just wants to sell their house.
Estate Agents want you to go list with them, they are in the business of selling houses and that, amongst other things is how they make their money. But as an average home owner who may sell their property once or twice in their life time, how, amongst all this, do you make your choice as to who is best placed to sell your home.
On the whole, most agents will be abe to sell your house. But like a nice cup of tea, we all want something different. We want it our way.
Now first up, wanting it your way is absolutely the right thing to do. But in order to find this pathway, you need to drink a few cups of bad tea.
There will be agents who will sit on your sofa and confidentally tell you that your house is actually worth £10k more than the last person who valued it. Worse case scenario with this is of course your expectation gets raised, your opes get raised, but maybe your property may sit on the market for months as no one will pay that much. This vanity listing is all down to that agent who wants a board outside your house with their name on and to be able to make statements about market share and available properties.
There will also be agents who beliee their word is gospel and almost buly you into making decisions that make the journey harder. A little unpleasant and not as exciting as it should be. Arrogance takes over customer service and moving properties becomes about 'selling houses in 4 days'....
Think of a cup of tea. A great one. The kind of tea that ticks your boxes. This is what you need to find in an agent.
Some people want an estate agent to just sell your house. Others want a little more help, they need their hand holding. Others want daily updates and progression notes. Some home owners need introductions to conveyancers and moving firms, others want to make their own choices.
In our opinion, when you know, you know. If that big high street agent you call gives you a bit of a cold feeling, at this point, the first impression isn't what you need then feel free to pass them on. Remember, every time you call, this could be the person you speak to so if you feel this way on first impressions, is it worth that 1.2% fee?
If that online only agents is hard to contact, you get frustrated by onilne chats to glean information then is the stress and aff worth saving £150? In the grand scheme of things?
Choose your agents your way. Reach out, judge them on how they come across not just in person, but on the phone, social media and more. Compare them to a nice cup of tea and if they tick the boxes.... well. Life should be sweeter all round!
Use RightAgent to find a local agent who can help you. Just drop your postcode into the sign up forms and local agents will reach out. No spam, no direct marketing.. have it your way. Just like a cuppa.
Published Tue 5th March 2019 - Last updated Tue 5th March 2019
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