House buying agents

whitesatin

We want to buy a house in a completely different area from where we live now. We made a few mistakes when we moved to this area and want to avoid doing that again. It has been suggested that we use an individual or company who look for a property specifically for you, a bit like in the tv programmes only you pay them to do that.

Has anyone any experience or advice on doing this?

skintchick

whitesatin wrote: »

We want to buy a house in a completely different area from where we live now. We made a few mistakes when we moved to this area and want to avoid doing that again. It has been suggested that we use an individual or company who look for a property specifically for you, a bit like in the tv programmes only you pay them to do that.

Has anyone any experience or advice on doing this?

I'm never convinced they will stop you from making mistakes to be honest. When I watched location Location done in my town, they showed them stuff they said was 'near the station' and it was miles away! They also found them stuff in villages around the town, which is not the same thing as being in the town.

Maybe they might be helpful but I think you can;t beat going to the town yourself and talking to locals and doing your own legwork. Iv've always done that and it's worked fine.

If you are moving jobs can you ask your new colleagues for advice?

whitesatin

Thanks for your reply. No, we are not moving jobs but retiring to be nearer the family. We obviously ask the family for advice on areas etc. but what we were hoping from a buying agent was that maybe they found out about property that wasn't yet on the market or that wasn't advertised etc. I suppose what we really want is a little gem of a property at a good price if I am being honest.

We are, unfortunately, moving to a more expensive area than we are coming from so need all the help we can get. Figured that we don't mind paying out if they could genuinely hunt around for us and come up with some outside the box ideas.

But we obviously don't have money to burn.

skintchick

whitesatin wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. No, we are not moving jobs but retiring to be nearer the family. We obviously ask the family for advice on areas etc. but what we were hoping from a buying agent was that maybe they found out about property that wasn't yet on the market or that wasn't advertised etc. I suppose what we really want is a little gem of a property at a good price if I am being honest.

We are, unfortunately, moving to a more expensive area than we are coming from so need all the help we can get. Figured that we don't mind paying out if they could genuinely hunt around for us and come up with some outside the box ideas.

But we obviously don't have money to burn.

I think the best thing to do is go there and personally visit every agent in town to tell them what you're looking for, then phone them at least once a week, maybe twice, to see what they've got coming up.

Good agents will happily tell you about things due to come on the market as it's in their interests to sell, and sell quickly.

Also, be prepared to look at everything that has the right number of bedrooms, from bungalows to townhouses, as you never know what might work for you until you see it. Don;t get stuck into thinking it has to be a particular type of house.

I assume those types of agents could be useful but I don;t totally see how unless you just have no time to do the legwork yourself.

whitesatin

Thanks, skintchick, certainly given me some food for thought there. I will be glad when it is all over to be honest, I don't enjoy the experience of moving at all. I just have to stay positive.

pie81

I don't think a property finder agent will be able to find things that you wouldn't find yourself. They will not be able to see stuff that is not yet on the market, because of the HIP issue.

What they will be able to do is save you some legwork/visits to your new area by seeing a lot of properties and boiling it down into a shortlist for you to then see. However bear in mind this won't work in a fast moving market where properties go under offer quickly. And of course you have to trust their judgment as to what are the best places for you.

Personally I think there is no substitute for doing the viewings yourself... as only you know what is really important to you and what you will and won't compromise on. Often this doesn't become clear until after you've seen quite a few things. Note that on Location Location Location the buyers often end up buying something that Kirsty & Phil didn't find for them and doesn't fit their original criteria at all... just goes to show you can't really delegate this sort of thing.