how to find the best estate agents to sell your house

How to find an estate agent to sell your home

Maybe it’s an emergency or you’ve got a job promotion that needs you to relocate; or simply, you’re sick of living in the same house for years and you now need a new place for yourself and family. Regardless the reason to sell your old home, it’s a big decision. You’re not only letting go of just the walls and roof, but numerous happy and sad memories, laughter you shared with your special one, and the comfort essence that you cherished for so long.

If you go anywhere, even paradise, you will miss your home. Malala Yousafzai

In short, selling house is an emotional roller-coaster.

Another side of this process is actually selling the house—the hassle of finding a new place, picking a good estate agent, packing all your belongings and then moving. It’s long and tedious route that, needless to say, will take a toll on you, keeping you busy for days and giving you several sleepless nights.

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While sure you can value your home yourself, find a buyer using listing websites, transact the amount and settle all the paperwork all by you, professional help is almost always recommended. Here are 5 reasons why-

·         House buying/selling negotiation isn’t anything like haggling at the grocery stores. Striking a perfect deal, agreeable to both the parties, is very difficult. And unless you’re a bargaining expert, chances are you’re going to end up the deal at much less price than what you should.

·         It’s more convenient for you than handling everything all by yourself. There’s a lot that needs to be taken care of. And since just a novice, it might (and will) boggle you down.

·         Handling the legal ends, especially when being paid through mortgage or loans, is a tricky process than being paid by hard cash. Professionals are always needed to avoid any agreement and legal mistakes.

·         Sure there exist many property valuation calculators and tips; hardly do they help though, given there’s a host of aspects that needs to be factored in. Valuing your house at the right, market-standard price is difficult.

·         The bigger the house (costlier), the harder will it be to find a good buyer, which is a pain if you’re looking to get over with this whole process quickly. Professionals with their wide network can help quick-up this whole process.

So having a professional by your side is always a good idea. But, of course, finding a good and reliable estate agent is easier said than done; particularly in UK where there exist so many and nearly all claim to be “the best”.

Lost? Clueless? Stressed? Worried? If you’re on a quest to find a top estate broker, and these phrases describe you well, we’re here to help. How to identify a good professional, how not to end up with a bad one and what to expect ahead, we tell you all.

Yes, you’re welcome!

5 no-nonsense tips to find a great estate agent

1. Make a list of several brokers

best real estate agent

Don’t just blindly pick one broker and go with it, however, good the deal might look. Keep your options open. Make a list of several brokers; analyze them well—their expertise, experience, network and more. Factor others aspects of the whole deal and see if you’re okay with it.

Also, don’t flock to the agents who asks for smaller commissions than others; maybe they are new on the scene, which means they might be not as good as they tell you they are; or maybe there involve many payment juggernauts like separate charge for legal assistance, marketing, and professional advices. All these might add up to cost you much higher.

2. Take recommendations from friends and family

tips to find estate agent

This is the easiest way to get hold of several realtors; ask your friends and families. Ask them about their own personal experience and if they were satisfied with the agent. Listen carefully. Don’t thoughtlessly nod your head though (your needs may vary from theirs’). Don’t compromise even if there’s one little problem. Remember, the pool is quite large; there’s load of fishes to choose from.

3. Ask for references from the agents

estate agents in manchester

Call and email few of the agents and ask them for references. Ring the reference numbers; visit the people in person, if possible. Talk to them about their whole experience with the agent; ask them if they were satisfied with the realtor’s services.Look at their properties. And most importantly, ask if they think they were overcharged.

 

4. Ask questions (even the irrelevant ones)

pick the best estate agent

The best way to know more about the brokers is to ask them direct questions; questions, that’s bothering you, even when it sounds irrelevant. Ask them about their certification, their specialization, the neighborhoods they work in, the number of clients they are currently representing, the average price of all the houses they have sold in past year. These are some pretty standard questions that would help you understand the agents better.

5. Your compatibility with the shortlisted brokers

get real estate agents in UK

Compatibility is the thing many overlook. You need to get along with the agent well, given the money involved here is huge. She/he must understand your specific needs, financial standing, what exactly you are looking from the deal, your expectations and so forth. The relationship between the two must be good and cordial for a smoother journey ahead.

 

Knowing how to pick a good estate broker is important. However, given the crowd of these professionals in UK, knowing how NOT TO pick a bad one is equally important.

So in case if the above pointers aren’t helping you much, here are

5 tips on HOW NOT TO select an estate agent

I. Believe everything the internet says

While internet could be a good source to know about the estate brokers, you can’t solely rely on the information you find there. Don’t just blindly agree to what the agents sayon their websites. Doubt even the positive reviews; it could be fake. Online public forums too aren’t very reliable these days.If you really need insights, read their privacy policy and terms and conditions (which we doubt you will).

11. Believe the deal that looks too good to be true

Maybe the broker is charging a very small fee (commission); maybe they tell you your cost of legal services are waived. Some even promise to sell your home within a week. Don’t fall for deals that look too good to be true. Always double check the offers from different sources to know for sure. Or be direct when talking to them; don’t hesitate, and be blunt. It’s their task to address all your issues with a genuine smile.

111. Consider poor references

Poor reference is when you’re trying to sell a house, they give you numbers of all the commercial properties they have dealt;when you’re trying to sell in ‘this’ city, they give you the numbers from ‘that’ city; when your house is as big as a palace, they give you a number of a small condo.So identify the poor references and don’t naively factor them.

1V. Pick an agent from outside the city

NEVER go with agents who doesn’t live, or have office, in the same city, or at least the same state.It could feed plenty of unexpected problems; there could be in-person communication gap, which could be fatal; phone conversation, in important matters as these, never helps. The whole selling process might drag longer than normal. So pick someone who lives nearby.

V. Choosing someone who’s a relative

It’s an old rule, applied whenever and wherever money is involved—never deals with friends and families. In this case, unless they are highly qualified and experienced estate agent, avoid them. There would be hesitation in the communication. Resentment is imminent. And the whole deal might end up in a bad taste personally.

These are 5 simple tips on how not to pick an estate agent. Factor every point.

After finalizing on one agent, expect a sweet interview in line. Your house will be valued. Be careful of the valued price. While you may have very few reasons to doubt the agent, it is best you do your own calculations and don’t just sway with everything what they say. Next, they will market your property through their network, workshops or online platforms. If things go well, given with high credential, the agent might be able to strike a perfect deal for you.

Also be very wary of the commission and fee they are charging you. Have an open eye to the hidden charges. Like mentioned already, for individual work, they might charge you individually; for marketing, legal advice and other assistance. In addition, be careful to the terms of the agents. Many insist that they would help you find a willing and able purchaser. You don’t want that. And ensure they are there with you till the very end, helping you till the whole transaction (or down payment) is completed.

Take your time and think things through before taking any step. It’s a big move with lots of money involved. You don’t want to go wrong here.

Comments

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