Choosing an estate agent to sell a property is obviously a daunting task. For this, individuals should follow a few essential tips to find the best estate agents to sell your house.
Type of an Agency whether Online or Traditional
Individuals looking to sell their properties with the help of estate agents should first choose between the online or traditional estate agencies.
In case of a traditional and a full-service estate agency, you have to visit their offices physically and they will usually take care of each stage associated with the selling process in return for making payment of a fee whenever the sale of your house goes through.
These professionals usually work on a no-fee and no-sale basis but others have a strict fee policy in place.
Online estate agents to sell your house, on the other side, do not have their offices and charge a suitable up-front fee for putting your house on the market.
In addition, they take have additional charges in case of sale of property. You will have to deal with a large number of selling procedures on your own.
Create a Shortlist of Agents
For choosing an estate agent, you should create a list of a few agents, whom you consider useful. After this, you should ask your neighbours and friends to get valuable recommendations.
In addition, you may check the sale boards of estate agents, advertisements in newspapers and promotional leaflets.
Local estate agents will have a large local presence and will be a recognised name within the area. In addition, you may opt to search for estate agents available in your area with the help of internet.
Each of the estate agents should strictly follow the necessary estate agent guidelines to deal with every possible unresolved complaint.
Narrow Down the Choices to Get a Close Look
Once you get names of estate agents to sell your house, you should have a look at their respective websites. From there, you will be able to get detailed information about the experience and expertise of the staff, services on offer and testimonials/comments from their previous customers and pricing.
In addition, you should look at the houses/properties, which they list for sale. You have to check and make sure that they meet your requirements in terms of layout, design, written descriptions, quality of photographs and provide detailed information.
If possible, you should check the way, by which a particular agent advertises various properties on at least one big property related website such as ‘Rightmove’.
This way, you may narrow down the list to only two to three agents, whom you may ask about your property and get valuable opinions regarding the actual market value and at the same time, explain the way, by which they would sell it at a specific price to buyers.
Justify the Valuation made by Estate Agents
When an agent arrives, you should definitely pay attention to his/her politeness, punctuality, knowledge and professionalism. They will give their opinion regarding the potential asking price and actual sales price of your property.
If each of the agents suggests almost similar values, then it would be safe to assume that they are accurate.
However, you should not be surprised if anyone among them highlights an entirely different figure.
Reason being, that he may know something additional from other people. Instead, you should ask estate agents about justifying their opinions related to the value of your property based on a few examples of similar ones, or comparable properties which are already on the market and those, which have sold.
The way in which the estate agent provides you with regular feedback is also an important factor in your consideration.
Mention Your Requirements Properly
The next step associated with hiring the best estate agents is to mention the requirements in detail. You should always keep in mind that a good agent always possesses a good understanding about the necessary requirements and underlying circumstances. Every one of us has specific requirements and in this situation, a good agent always remains ready to tailor the services to deal with us successfully.
Ask about the costs and fees charged for the level of service
As mentioned before, agents charge a particular amount as a ‘fee’ to sell the property. Fees, in this case, are a specific percentage of the total selling price or can be a fixed amount.
However, a few agents may charge some additional costs for photography or advertisements and a specific amount in case you withdraw your property from sale.
Whatever be the case, good estate agents to sell your house explain each of these costs in detail and never keep any hidden cost. Payment of actual amount may depend on the type/types of services you receive from an estate agent and on the terms, if they get appointments as sole agents or not.
You should come up with a valid and valuable judgment according to the services you receive from your agent and never assume that the cheapest service is the best one for you.
