Huge mistakes you can make when choosing an estate agent in Cheadle

One of the biggest decisions you will make when you sell your home is choosing the right estate agent to get your house sold.  There is a wealth of choice, from high-street estate agents to those working online; from big national companies to well established local independent estate agents, such as ourselves.  You may think that this decision is fairly straightforward, yet it is vital that you don’t make any huge mistakes by rushing your decision without doing your homework.

One of our clients recently said in a testimonial “For me an excellent agent is an investment that has paid real returns (twice) Ok, we have acted for them twice so hopefully they are well qualified to give an honest opinion!

Instructing the wrong estate agent will no doubt lead to financial and emotional headaches ahead, so what do you need to look for when choosing an estate agent to sell your home in Cheadle?

 

Attracted by the lowest commission

Once you have decided to sell your home, it’s time to interview a number of estate agents. Where many sellers go wrong is that they see an agent valuing their property as just that.  It’s more than a valuation – this is your time to question, challenge and discover everything you can about this agent.

There are many estate agents who will offer a very low commission simply to win your business. You may see this as saving money, how can it be a bad thing?  However, more often than not this proves to be false economy and the agent who will put the most money in your pocket at the end of the transaction is probably not the one offering the lowest commission.

As with every business, good estate agents invest in many areas, from the marketing strategy for your property to ensuring you have the support you need as you move through the sales process.  At the end of the day, we have exceptionally high standards for what we believe a client experience – your experience – should look like, even if issues arise.

What experience will the other estate agents provide? Make sure you understand what and how they invest in selling your home.

 

They are going to sell it for how much?

Who wouldn’t be attracted by an agent who values your home at a few grand more than the rest? You can see pound signs popping up in front of your eyes. Choosing the agent who offers you the highest valuation is a very common and natural mistake to make, but think: is this price realistic, or are they sneakily trying to get your business? Again, local knowledge and experience are essential to get your pricing right.

Some agents may value the property higher than others – as long as they can show a track record of achieving their asking prices, you have nothing to fear. But overpricing a property is a curse – let us explain why. There is an optimum time period when your home will attract buyers when it is listed online, which is in the first few weeks.  Serious buyers do their homework; they will know every home on the market in the area within their budget and will have alerts set to be notified when such a home becomes available.

 

 

If it’s priced too high, your home won’t even come up in their searches. Even if they do see it, they will know themselves from viewing other similar properties that it seems a little steep. They will either view and put in a cheeky offer, or just ignore your home and move onto the next. The longer your home sits on the market, the staler it will become, losing its initial ‘star power’ to be replaced with a sense that it has been left on the shelf and trust us, in the current climate that isn’t very long!

This is why you should research the agent’s track record – ask them for their results, make them prove to you they deserve your business. At Maurice Kilbride we want to show you what we have achieved for our clients, over many years, because we are proud of our successes and service.

 

Just because they’ve sold more houses

Of course, it looks good if an estate agent has sold lots of houses, but again you need to put that into context.  How many houses that they’ve listed have they sold?  Let’s explain. If this agent has sold 50 houses and their competitor only 20, then they must be better, right? Maybe not.

If Agent A has sold 50 houses but they listed 100, that’s a high percentage of houses that they committed to sell and didn’t. If Agent B has only sold 20 houses but listed 25, this shows they have been dedicated to getting those houses sold.   The data is only a guide, but if you put it into context, you’ll get an understanding of who the agent is and how they work. Number crunching and showing you vanity metrics such as Rightmove pie charts are not a sign of success, after all you want an agent who is going to devote sufficient time to you and your sale to ensure the result you want.

 

 

I liked the first one

When you decide to sell your home, estate agents may have been recommended by friends and family and one in particular may stand out to you, so you decide to get them round.  You like what they have to say and without seeing anyone else you decide to choose them.

How can you compare different agencies if you only see one?  Each estate agent will have their strengths; they may offer different marketing approaches, some which may really suit your home and its potential buyers.  Speaking with more than one agent will give you a better understanding of the Cheadle property market and who will be the best fit to sell your home and of course make sure you are getting the right price for your home.

 

What do their clients say?

One of the best and most impartial ways to choose your agents to chat with, is what other clients who have worked an agent say about them! You can often read testimonials on Google, on their website or Facebook page? Another way is to do your own mystery shop – call up the agency or pop in and ask some questions, this will give you an idea of how clients are cared for and supported by the agency. It often tells you a lot!

 

Big decisions

Without doing your due diligence, it is easy to make a mistake when choosing an estate agent to sell your home. We love it when a client puts us through our paces because we know they are committed to making the right decision for them and their home.

At the end of the day, selling what is potentially your biggest asset can be very emotive and stressful, hence why 95% of sellers still choose a traditional high street agent to market their home. We realise selling a home is a “people business” and having someone you can talk too face to face, build up a relationship and trust with is considerably more important than saving a few pounds.

Are we up to the task of selling your home? Call Patrick, Joe or Maurice today on 0161 428 3663, e-mail sales@mkiea.co.uk or visit our office on Cheadle High Street so we can organise a time to tell you why we are hopefully the best agent for you and your property.