housenetwork - a review

Contessa

Just read your post with interest. If I understand you correctly the calls, viewings and offer you had were as a result of you adding your phone number underneath the sign, and not through the Housenetwork sign? So, had the viewers seen your house advertised on Rightmove? Or were they passing by? If so, then perhaps all sellers need is a sign with a phone number outside the house, and an EPC!

Davesnave

reilly961 wrote: »

I have read many of the above comments with interest. I am an estate agent in a small village where I have seen 2 properties sell recently though HN and a third not sell. I fully understand people wanting to save money by using them.
Finding a buyer is not the difficulty part when the market is a strong as it is at the moment, it is just a matter of putting the right asking price on it.
Agents of my ilk have years of experience and are happy to give advice on many things, not just an idea of value.
This business is not what it used to be, competition between agents has pushed the agency fees down over the last 5 yrs. The average is now 1%. Many agents, even in this 'affluent' area have struggled to stay in business since 2008, even now our branch is not making a profit. We are the number 1 agent in quite a wide area.
With transactions taking months to go through due to lenders ever increasing caution and strict lending criteria, most deals remain fragile until the exchange of contracts. Our experience becomes very important during the process. We help take on the significant stress involved with a sale and purchase.
I am aware that some agents are not as good as others, so many of you will not see the value in that comment.

Our free valuations take preparation time, time is money.

If you are getting a free valuation in order use HN at least consider for a moment the plight of the agent.
Peter

This is an honest response.

I can't suggest exactly how high street agents might adapt to changing circumstances, because I'm not an agent.

I was a teacher. When I started teaching, all I had in my room was a blackboard and some dusty old chalks as my 'visual resources.' When I left the profession, everyone had interactive whiteboards and the ability to call up a range of media, on any subject, from sources all over the world.

To use the new computer-orientated software, people like me had to re-train or work on distance learning packages until we had the correct skills. If we hadn't done this, we would soon have been out of our depth and unable to function effectively. I imagine the same has been true in all professions.

EAs have moved into the computer age over the last decade or so, but as the MSE "Look at This!" thread shows, their level of competence is often sadly lacking. I think many are hanging on by their fingernails, hoping for something to turn up.

I agree with you that the agent who can add value through chasing potential buyers and helping chains to keep moving will earn their fee so long as markets are fragile. Unfortunately, many are simply not pro-active enough.

googler

Davesnave wrote: »

I agree with you that the agent who can add value through chasing potential buyers and helping chains to keep moving will earn their fee so long as markets are fragile. Unfortunately, many are simply not pro-active enough.

Unfortunately, as the EA above points out, average fees have dropped significantly in his area. The contradiction is that his public may well expect more and more in terms of pro-activity, availability in evenings and weekends, conducted viewings, chasing buyers and viewers, etc., but aren't willing to pay the fees that go with this.

I'll say it again - go to the USA or other territories, and you'll find pro-activity and 24/7 dedication in the 'real estate' industry until it comes out of your ears, but you'll find it at a price commensurate with the service.

You won't find anyone doing this for 1% of the sale price. 6% is the norm in the USA, and I've heard that it's nearer to 10% in South Africa.

googler

Davesnave wrote: »

EAs have moved into the computer age over the last decade or so, but as the MSE "Look at This!" thread shows, their level of competence is often sadly lacking. I think many are hanging on by their fingernails, hoping for something to turn up.

The most recent examples cited in that thread, though, look at the writing that the owner has put on the tiles and toilet seat of their bathroom, and at the unusual design in a computer-generated image of a new-build.

How is this anything to do with (generally) the computer skills (or lack of same) of EAs?

nikkiowilson

Contessa wrote: »

Just read your post with interest. If I understand you correctly the calls, viewings and offer you had were as a result of you adding your phone number underneath the sign, and not through the Housenetwork sign? So, had the viewers seen your house advertised on Rightmove? Or were they passing by? If so, then perhaps all sellers need is a sign with a phone number outside the house, and an EPC!

Yes, you are correct. Both viewers just saw the sign and rang directly. The first live in the same road and the buyers live a couple of miles away but their son lives just around the corner. In this case any old sign and an EPC would probably do. The buyers had driven past, gone home and looked at the detail on the internet and then come back and rung me. They also said that the son and daughter in law had rung them whilst looking at it on the internet to tell them they had seen it was for sale and thought it may be suitable. The website may have helped to confirm it was right but I am sure they would have rung me direct to enquire regardless. This is not on a main road and obviously it depends where you are and maybe luck that the buyers will drive or walk past or be told by a friend or family as above. As I said apparently 1/3rd of houses sell simply because of the For Sale sign. That means 2/3rds are probably due to seeing the property online or in an Estate Agents or Newspaper etc. It may be worth sticking a sign up for a few weeks first if you are in no mad rush as if a local buyer who passes or even live in the same street is interested it could save you the work and cost of advertising.

Contessa

nikkiowilson wrote: »

Yes, you are correct. Both viewers just saw the sign and rang directly. The first live in the same road and the buyers live a couple of miles away but their son lives just around the corner. In this case any old sign and an EPC would probably do. The buyers had driven past, gone home and looked at the detail on the internet and then come back and rung me. They also said that the son and daughter in law had rung them whilst looking at it on the internet to tell them they had seen it was for sale and thought it may be suitable. The website may have helped to confirm it was right but I am sure they would have rung me direct to enquire regardless. This is not on a main road and obviously it depends where you are and maybe luck that the buyers will drive or walk past or be told by a friend or family as above. As I said apparently 1/3rd of houses sell simply because of the For Sale sign. That means 2/3rds are probably due to seeing the property online or in an Estate Agents or Newspaper etc. It may be worth sticking a sign up for a few weeks first if you are in no mad rush as if a local buyer who passes or even live in the same street is interested it could save you the work and cost of advertising.

Thanks for your reply. I do intend to use HN but have thought about putting up my own sign, or even in the window, as the house opposite is for sale. About 18 months ago a house round the corner was sold because the buyer saw it when he took his son to a birthday party in a house on my street. So, signs do work, but I live in a cul-de-sac so not expecting any passing potential buyers except family or friends.
So, need to reach a wider market and HN seems a cheap and efficient way of accessing this. And, if it doesn't work, I won't have lost too much.

Davesnave

googler wrote: »

The most recent examples cited in that thread, though, look at the writing that the owner has put on the tiles and toilet seat of their bathroom, and at the unusual design in a computer-generated image of a new-build.

How is this anything to do with (generally) the computer skills (or lack of same) of EAs?

Did I say that they did?

You can cherry pick examples, but that thread has plenty relating to agent incompetence in presentation, though it's about other things as well, like people's odd tastes.

As a whole, the house selling industry could do better. For example, I can tell my local authority exactly where a pot hole in the road is by using computer mapping. Why the hell can't agents and their main sites, Rightmove & Zoopla, show exactly where a property is?

Actually, there is one local agent I know personally who does the above, but his company is the exception rather than the rule.

Also, where are the floor plans on half the houses I view?

Those are just two major shortcomings off the top of my head...

I'm not an agent, so it's not up to me to say how the threat from on-line budget agencies like HN should be countered. I merely pointed out that the computer revolution hit my profession so hard, that those who didn't keep up found it pretty difficult to survive.

Why should people in other professions expect different? It's natural selection - adapt or die.

Hoof_Hearted

It's horses for courses. If you want to save money and do some work yourself, use an online agent. If you just want to hand the whole thing over, use a high street agent and pay for the privilege. In the southeast, it makes even more sense to avoid the latter. The average house price where I live is so high that 1% plus VAT is a huge amount of money.

Putting your own board outside may work, but you won't get to a wider audience on Rightmove, etc.

Agents obviously think they are hard done by because they are not getting 6-10%, but that's competition. It's a pretty easy job matching people who want to sell with people who want to buy, especially with the internet. 1% is the most anyone should pay.

Tancred

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

It's horses for courses. If you want to save money and do some work yourself, use an online agent. If you just want to hand the whole thing over, use a high street agent and pay for the privilege. In the southeast, it makes even more sense to avoid the latter. The average house price where I live is so high that 1% plus VAT is a huge amount of money.

Putting your own board outside may work, but you won't get to a wider audience on Rightmove, etc.

Agents obviously think they are hard done by because they are not getting 6-10%, but that's competition. It's a pretty easy job matching people who want to sell with people who want to buy, especially with the internet. 1% is the most anyone should pay.

I would say 0.5% is the most anyone should pay.

The problem with 2-2.5% esatate agent fees is that these costs are simply added to the price of the house, which often makes the price excessive. Therefore it does impact the market as a whole.

googler

Davesnave wrote: »

Did I say that they did?

You said - "EAs have moved into the computer age over the last decade or so, but as the MSE "Look at This!" thread shows, their level of competence is often sadly lacking." which I took to mean "EAs are lacking in computing skills" .... did you mean something else?

You can cherry pick examples, but that thread has plenty relating to agent incompetence in presentation, though it's about other things as well, like people's odd tastes.

'Presentation' is mainly in the hands of the homeowner. If the homeowner does their work well, all the agent should have to do is turn up, point the camera in the right direction, and click. Whilst it may be appropriate to give some advice to the homeowner, it shouldn't be down to the EA to tidy the owner's home for them ....

For instance, if there's damp towels scattered all over the bathroom, and manky bottles of shower gel on the shelves, is this the agent's fault, or the homeowner's?

As a whole, the house selling industry could do better. For example, I can tell my local authority exactly where a pot hole in the road is by using computer mapping. Why the hell can't agents and their main sites, Rightmove & Zoopla, show exactly where a property is?

How exact do you need to be? You have the street number, street name, and postcode. What else are you looking for?