Every town has a variety of styles of estate agent, from the soulless “corporate” agency driven by figures, to the one-man band; from arty-contemporary to pushy-salesy. Each type tends to appeal to a specific sector of the property-owning community, and rightly so – buyers and sellers alike need
There can be nothing better suited to the internet than property, and hits to property websites far outnumber those of any other industry. The ability to be able to search in the comfort of your own home, usually without having to provide any personal details, is certainly attractive and has
First impressions are not only important when selling your home, they are absolutely critical. When people come to view a property for the first time, they are unlikely to be scrutinising the unseen. They are simply trying to get a feel for the property. They will be bombarded with mostly
Sellers often approach us after an unsatisfactory experience with another agent, particularly in relation to poor levels of feedback following property viewings. Surely prompt and constructive feedback should be a fundamental part of any estate agent’s service to their clients! Only when agents understand what buyers think of a property
When looking for a property, it is natural to want to see as many as possible before making the “right” choice and common sense dictates that you should view a handful of alternatives before buying. Our job as professional estate agents is to help you arrive at a decision that’s
After weeks of looking, you have found your perfect home. It seems to have everything you wanted – desirable location, great accommodation, beautiful garden and excellent condition. The vendor obviously knows they are selling a highly desirable proposition. They have priced it attractively which makes you think that you might
If you are selling an especially popular, rarely available, or unique property, you may be in the privileged position of having several buyers clamouring at your door, each hoping to become the lucky owner of your special home. However, whilst it is natural to want to take the highest offer,
As property prices rose through the past decades it became almost a foregone conclusion that whichever agent you chose to sell your property, a buyer would be found within a few days. So vendors became less discerning over their choice of agent and were understandably tempted to appoint the agent
Despite what you might read in the press, the current market is as near a “normal” market as experienced estate agents have known for years in terms of the balance between properties available for sale and the number of registered buyers. However, unlike most “normal” markets, some sellers are not
Last week’s article focussed on issues to think about when buying an unmodernised property. However, sellers should also be careful when considering the sale of a property in need of renovation. Firstly, unmodernised is unmodernised! It is usually a waste of money to make improvements to a property on which
There are about a dozen property-related programmes on TV every week. Some of these track the progress of a wreck to a finished home, or at least highlight a property’s potential. We have certainly noticed an increase in the number of enquiries from people specifically wishing to buy a run
ARLA, the Association of Residential Letting Agents promotes itself as the only professional self-regulating body to be solely concerned with lettings and letting agents. ARLA provides a professional trading standards platform and redress system for letting agents, tenants and landlords alike. From a landlord’s point of view, there are any
