How to choose estate agent

How to choose estate agent

Introduction

Finding the right estate agent is one of the most important decisions you will make, so it’s essential that you ensure that they are a good fit for your property and needs. Here are our top tips for choosing an estate agent:

Local agent with knowledge of the area.

Ask the estate agent what the local area is like.

Get a feel for the local schools, shops and transport links.

Find out if there are any amenities nearby that you might need to consider, such as a gym or a leisure centre (if you’re planning on moving with children).

Ask about the types of people that live in the area and how it’s changed over time (for example, if it’s gone from being an older couple-only area to one where young families’ also live).

Social personality, get on well with them

You want them to be friendly, approachable and honest. You also want them to be a good communicator. You need someone who you can build a rapport with. If they are not able to communicate well with you, it could make the process more challenging than it needs to be.

Good reputation with past customers

In order to find out how good an estate agent is, you should look at their customer feedback. It’s important that they have a good reputation with the past customers and what was the reason for their positive feedback.

When you contact them, ask if they would be able to send previous customers’ contact details or recommendations from previous clients. Then you can call some of these people to talk about their experience working with this particular agent. The majority of agents will not mind giving out this information because it shows that they are committed in protecting their relationship with their customers and take pride in providing quality services every time.

Sometimes, estate agents will try to hide any negative feedback so only focus on finding one who is transparent about everything including any problems or complaints about them (good or bad). When someone leaves a negative review online, don’t forget that there could be another side too! This means there might be something going on behind-the-scenes which led up until this point where someone felt compelled enough by whatever reason(s) necessary before posting something as inflammatory as theirs did — so always keep perspective when reading through reviews

Professional

You want to know that your estate agent has the right expertise. As well as having a good knowledge of the local area, they should also be able to demonstrate their professional experience through their website and profile page. If possible, speak to former clients and find out what their experience was like – this will give you an idea of how easy it is to communicate with them.

A good estate agent should have strong communication skills (both written and verbal) so that they can relay key information clearly and effectively throughout each stage of the buying process. If you’re not sure about an aspect of the process, don’t hesitate to ask questions – after all, it’s your money!

The agent should be able to provide impartial advice on whether your property is overpriced or undervalued by comparing local market data with similar properties in the area. This helps you gauge how realistic their valuation is before making any decisions about selling up or buying another property in order for them

Accurate valuation of your property

The property valuation is the most important part of the process. It is the basis for all other decisions, and it should be accurate.

A property valuation isn’t an exact science and there are many factors that can affect its accuracy, including market conditions and comparable sales.

Before you make any decisions about your sale or purchase, it is important to get a realistic idea of how much your home could sell for in today’s market so that you can negotiate effectively with estate agents or private buyers.

Knowledge of the local market and similar properties will help you gauge how realistic their valuation is.

When choosing an estate agent, don’t forget to ask the following:

• What do they think the property is worth? This will help you gauge how realistic their valuation is.
• Do they have knowledge of the local market and similar properties?
• Marketing including photography and floorplan

Your estate agent will show your house to as many people as possible, so it’s important that they use high quality marketing materials. They should provide professional photography which shows off the property at its best. The property should also be presented on a floorplan so potential buyers can see exactly how big it is.

Open house and viewers

Some estate agents will hold open houses for buyers to come and view properties without an appointment, or showings only by appointment. You should check with the agent whether this is available before committing to them as some agencies do not offer this option.

Our estate agent’s photographs and Floorplan were excellent

You’re putting a lot of trust in your estate agent, so it’s imperative that you check out their website. First impressions count, so make sure the photos are good quality and taken from different angles. The floorplan should be easy to read and accurate – if it isn’t then there’s no point in having one! It should also be uploaded onto the agent’s site for potential buyers to view.

Viewings

Open house is a good way to get the word out about your property, and it can give potential buyers a chance to see the home in person. It’s also an opportunity for you to get feedback from people who have seen the house, so that you can decide whether or not it’s worth making any changes before putting it up for sale.

You can host an open house at any time—even if you’re not planning on selling your house anytime soon!

Excellent marketing coverage but poor follow up after viewings was a problem for us with our agent.

We found that our agent did not have a good marketing plan but had great follow up after viewings. We would often find that our agent was unavailable when we needed them to answer questions regarding viewings and other property matters, which meant that we had to chase them for answers. Our agent also failed to show up on an open house viewing with prospective buyers, which left us feeling very embarrassed in front of the interested parties. The final straw came when our agent failed to follow up on several viewings for properties that were scheduled for viewing by interested parties, leaving us unable to get feedback from these parties about whether or not they would be interested in buying the property.

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you some ideas on how to choose an estate agent.