Looking for a property, or trying to sell one, is an arduous and painstaking task, and it can sometimes seem slightly overwhelming, which is why finding the best estate agent is of the utmost importance. But how do you choose the best estate agent? There are different measures you can use, but there are some essential things to look out for, and certain decisions which you have to make before you decide upon the agent who is the most suitable; here are our top tips for finding the best estate agent. It should be noted that it does slightly vary depending on whether you’re selling or looking for a property to buy.
First off, you must decide what type of estate agency you want, which means you must decide between a traditional estate agent or an online one, with the main difference being, apart from the fact that traditional estate agents have offices that you can actually visit, that online agencies charge a fee upfront for selling your property and you have to do a lot of the ‘selling’ work yourself, while traditional agencies tend to work on a ‘no sell-no fee’ basis.
After you have decided to go for an estate agency, you must first, as always, conduct some research; trawl through the internet and start making a short list of the estate agencies which deal with the area you’re looking for, ask some friends for recommendations, look at adverts, go through their websites, and be thorough in your search and make sure that you explore every avenue in finding the best estate agent.
After you’ve decided on a short list of agencies, then take a closer look at their website, and go through each website with fine comb and tooth nail; look at their pictures, do they present the houses well, do they have lots of photographs, do they give information about the area? There are lots of questions you should be asking but the main one when selling is to see how attractive they make the other properties seem, and whether you would be tempted to buy a property from them? If you’re buying a property, the questions are the same but you need to look also at the numbers of properties on their books, do you have a comprehensive choice?
Finally, once you find the best estate agency, you must now decide on the best estate agent, which means you must get in contact and speak to the different agents. You need to assess the agent, find out how they will go about their business of selling your property or finding you one to buy, is their customer service good, do they make you feel welcome, are they thorough in their preparation, are they asking you the right questions, do they seem knowledgeable about the current market conditions? How will they sell your property, what will they do that is different to other estate agents? Or, how will they help you find the property of your dreams?
Obviously another important factor then comes into play when choosing an estate agent, and that’s their fees; a good estate agent will explain all the fees involved and ensure that there are no hidden costs which will appear down the line. This is usually more pertinent when selling your property as there may be additional costs for extra photographs or extra advertising or such things. Find out from the start.
Then it’s time to decide. Once you’ve found the best estate agent then the most important thing is to work together as a team. Give them all the information they need and tell them exactly what you want or expect. Help them to help you. All this may seem like a lot of work, but finding the best estate agent is the most important thing you will do when buying or selling a property, so it’s important to do the legwork and make sure you find the best estate agent for you.
