Estate agents!

deefadog

We are havig 6 different estate agents coming around to price our current property in the next week and i want to have to hand a list of questions i should ask them, any advice on the questions i should be asking apart from there commision, percentage or fixed rate?

I want to be prepared so we can decide

Thanks again

theGrinch

what have they sold and where? I think its important to call and email agents. dont bother with those you find rude or slack

divadee

you could ask questions like, how many similar properties to yours they have sold recently, how long approximately things are staying on there books until they have sold. how many sales have they had fallen through recently.

Ask if they do business through e-mail some companies dont. ask how actively your property will be marketed ie. will it go on website etc....

Also ask how many people they have on their books looking for properties like yours.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

muckell

Ask them what fee/commision they charge.

Ask them how they would sell your property, what features/viewpoints/objects they would pay special mention to?

Just remember that what ever commission they quote is not set in stone, i knocked mine down .5% with the estage agent we went with. Also don't give them ideas of what the previous estate agent has already said, remember you want their independant veiw, then once you've chosen who to go with you could mention other things that other estate agents noticed.

deefadog

Thanks for the tips.

I'll make a check list out and mark them up with a clipboard, that should intimidate them and put them in there palce

Thanks again. Keep em coming if anyone else has some tips!

Cheers

Shrimp_Stu

Try phoning them up before hand and act as a potential buyer and see if you like the way they handle your call and requests. It is beneficial to understand how they will SELL your house to others, and if they come across as poor to potential buyers then there is little chance of you receiving suitable viewings. Also make sure that your house is on the books of a suitable estate agent: no good having a 2 bedroom terraced house on the books of an estate agent that deals with larger executive homes, etc. as they will not have the buyers relevant for your property.

crankup

Ask if they will advertise your property in the local paper. And if they do, how often, how frequently etc.

Ask if they will accompany all viewers, some or none. Find out specifics. When we sold 2 yr back we agreed that we would have to show at weekends, but not weekdays (can be good for negotiating the commission). Apparently, statistics say that most offers are made when the agent shows the property. This is because that viewers are too polite to have a good look when the owner is stood with them, so they dont have a good enough viewing to make a positive decision on an offer.

Ask if their commission includes VAT. They will probably say yes so ensure you practice your "shock reaction" face and ask for a better deal!!

rizla01

My first tip is to go with the Agent that most likes your property. They will reflect their own feelings to any prospects.

2nd - Be guided by their price and dont tell any of them what you expect or what others have told you. They know the market and will sell it at the right price. Some agents value your prop too high in order to get the instruction and then suggest you drop the price in order to get a sale. This wastes your time and costs them nothing.

3rd - If you can get away with it suggest a 'Split Commission' where you appoint two agents to try to sell your property on a 60/40 split. The higher figure going to the succesful agent. They don't like working this way but YOU are the boss, and this will ensure that they BOTH work for their sale.

Good luck.

Hope your purchase runs smoothly too.


Riz

deefadog

Great!

Had 2 estate agents in the last 2 days, both at 1% + VAT!!

Once we see all 6, we'll start to haggle! there must be plenty of room for them to drop by as with the crazy inflation prices they are making triple on what they were making 4/5 years back! And as far as i can see there cost of the business has not gone up nowhere near that!

humbug_4

Check to see how long you are tied in with the agent. If after a while you haven't sold the property because the agent is not actively marketing the property you may want to move to another agent if you are unable to resolve any issues with the first agent.

rizla01

Also,

Not much of this these days but beware of 'Sole Selling Rights' Agreements as opposed to 'Sole Agent'.

The former will mean that you owe them whenever or however it sells, preventing you from placing an advert in the local paper, which, incidentally, I would ALWAYS do first.

Someone out there might be looking for a prop in your area and buy it without you incurring agents fees and you could agree a lower selling price because of this saving.

Riz