Estate agents sometimes get a bad rep, which isn’t entirely fair. Sure, there might be some agencies with little experience that give the industry a bad name, but there are also lots of professional outfits out there that work very hard to keep the wheels turning for buyers and sellers.
Moving house is one of life’s most stressful experiences and a good agent is there to hold your hand throughout the process. They will offer emotional support to clients at the same time as pushing the sale through. However, estate agents don’t need to be licensed, though they do need to abide by the Estate Agents Act 1979 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. So how to make sure you’ve picked a good one?
Firstly, don’t forget that when you’re selling, the agent works for you – their fee is a percentage of your final sale price, so it’s in their interests as well as yours to achieve the best price for your home. Equally, bear in mind that when you’re a buyer, the agent isn’t working for you, though a good agent will recognise that both parties need to be on the same page in order to achieve a successful outcome.
A good agent will give you a realistic valuation based on research and local knowledge, take good photographs to present your property in the best light and make sure that your home is viewed by serious buyers only. They will provide feedback after viewings and keep in touch throughout the process, whether it takes a few weeks or many months. Once an offer has been accepted, they will communicate with your solicitor and mediate between you and your buyer. Property transactions can sometimes drag out over minutiae – literally there can be disputes over doorknobs – and an experienced agent who has seen it all before will keep their calm even when their client can’t.
Obviously, an agent with a well-known brand and offices all over the country is likely to be a good choice. Winkworth has more than 100 independent offices across the UK and more than 180 years’ experience, while their website has more than 450,000 unique visitors every month. Agencies rely on word-of-mouth recommendations and agents often become well-known local faces. Some agents are so proudly engaged with their areas that you’ll find that they’ve sold your house before, or at least the house next door, and will know exactly how to market it.
As a landlord, it’s just as important to find a good agent. An agent’s service can be as basic as simply finding a tenant, drawing up a contract and arranging security checks, or as all-encompassing as regular rent collection and overall property management. Agents know their market, and they know what tenants want, so they can advise on everything from how to decorate a rental property to appeal to the right market and whether or not to furnish it, to what safety checks are needed. Carl Burgess of Winkworth Shepherds Bush advises against listing a property with more than one agent, however tempting it may seem to advertise through multiple channels. “If you instruct multiple agents to rent your property for a fee, then you are putting them in competition with each other and the winner is the first person to get someone into the property, regardless of their quality. A good single agent should really care about who they are letting into your home.”
So choose a good agent once and they could potentially stay with you for successive moves, finding your next house and selling your existing one, and find tenants for you too.