Why Use Thompson Vales?
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT ESTATE AGENT TO SELL YOUR HOME
When the time comes to sell your home how do you choose which agent to appoint? You have a tremendous choice of agencies and, on the surface, most appear to be more or less the same thing. But there is far more to moving than simply finding a buyer and it is critical that when the time comes you can choose the right agent to use, your property and your situation.
A good guiding point is find an agent who clearly understands the stresses involved in moving and accepts that you are likely to want to sell your home with minimal stress and for the most attractive figure the current market will pay within a convenient timescale. Many agent make unrealistic claims and rash promises so here are some guidelines which we hope will help you choose the right agent to sell your home.
Local expertise
Buyers overwhelmingly prefer to work with local experts who they regard as "in the know". They choose a well established local agent and preferably one that the backing of a national support network.
Valuation
Beware! It is well known that some agents deliberately overvalue in order to impress your instruction. So don’t fall into trap of choosing the agent with the highest valuation. An inflated price attracts the wrong buyer to your property and, the right buyers never see it, resulting in the property going stale on the market. This often leads to the property falling its true market value. The issue of correct valuation is paramount. It is critical that we appoint an agent who know only has a track record of successful sales in the area, (not just properties on the market), but also has a thorough working knowledge of the current buyer activity, and it can interpret prevailing market trends to your advantage.
Commission
Many sellers are unaware of the considerable differences between agencies and have no alternative than to decide who to appoint on the level of commission charge. It is often a huge mistake and is a bit like buying a car purely on price considerations. All cars go from A to B but the vast price differential is related to the issues of quality, reliability, security, performance and the whole driving experience. The same is true of Estate Agents. Some agents simply cannot afford to provide a level of service that is either effective, or makes the selling experience hassle free. For example, there are firms who provide adequate staff training or post-offer support resulting in missed offers, slower sales and lower prices. Cut price Estate Agencies require a high turnover of stock in order to survive and they are therefore less likely to be less concerned about securing the best price for their clients.
The net amount in your pocket is surely more important than the percentage fee charge!
Communication
Too many agencies only communicate good news! Good agents are in frequent contact with their clients and have the guts to advise if anything needs to be done to improve your chances of an impressive sale.
The Directors!
Choose an agent who are owned and run by property professionals who are interested in your sale, rather than by people who are simply employed to build empire. Could you get hold of a Director if you needed to? Thompson Vales is personally run by its Directors. The Managing Director is Richard Thompson whose telephone number is 0208 679 9889 and also Associate Director Richard Turner whose telephone number is 0208 677 6600.
Floor Plans
Good Estate Agents provide floor plans on their particulars. They are far more helpful and accurate than a flowery description some agents still use and buyers find them invaluable. Floor plans improve the quality of viewings because they weed out clearly unsuitable purchasers and can motivate those who might otherwise not have viewed your property.
Advertising
Make sure you choose an agent who advertises properties similar to yours in the local press. Chances are that they already have a large pool of buyers who have enquired about similar homes to yours. However, be wary of the agent who promises to advertise your property every week with a postage stamp size ad! These are simply paying lip service to you and has very little to do with marketing strategy as it can cheapen in your property and lead to overexposure.
Service until you move!
Some agents think the sale is done when a buyer is found but many a sale has been lost due to poor follow up or inadequate liaison with surveyors or solicitors. About 35% of sales arranged in England and Wales fall through, (although far fewer than this in our case). So chose an agent that sees a sale right through to exchange and ideally one who you can deal with the same named individual from start to finish thereby securing your agents personal accountability.
Ombudsman
Anyone can become an Estate Agent in this country without any qualifications or minimum service standards! Agents who wish to demonstrate their commitment to consumer protection will be members of the Ombudsman for Estate Agents Scheme which has a vigorous Code of Practice and who is approved by the Office of Fair Trading. The Ombudsman is independent and impartial an can listen to any complaints and award binding financial compensation without the expense and hassle of having to go through the courts. The sale of your property is too important to entrust with just anyone. We would recommend you choose an agent who is a Member of the Ombudsman Scheme.
Guild Membership
Only the best independent agency in their respective locations are invited to become Members of Professional Estate Agents. They instruct a Guild member to sell your property and you will benefit from a superb national referral network of over 800 branches and have the ability to have your property showcased in the Guilds prestigious London office at 121 Park Lane, Mayfair. Guild members can also showcase properties to many more buyers on the Guild’s very own property website. www.property-platform.co.uk
Property Portals
Over 80% of buyers use the internet when looking for property. They need to sure that your property is found and promoted – quick on to the internet. An agent might have a great website and thats fine but do they subscribe to the most effective property portals, because this is howbuyers are directed to your property, when they search using search engine such as Google, Ask, Excite or Yahoo. Three of the UK’s market-leading sites are findaproperty.com, rightmove.co.uk and primelocation.com. Good agents list their properties on one of these but very few list on all. If you want maximum covering leading to more buyers and therefore to achieve the very highest price, then you should really use an agent who subscribes to these major portals.
Ultimately you are best served by choosing the locally based agent who holds values similar to your own. One of those who takes time to listen, one who understands your needs and concerns, one who can offer straight talking advice, one takes pride in his/her integrity combined with a passion for results. Needless to say, Thompson Vales not only fulfils but also goes beyond making the recommendations outlined here.
You owe it to yourself to make the right choice. So when the time comes to sell, choose wisely.
