Spotlight Magazines Spotlight on West Bridgford April 2015 | Page 8

Spotlight Magazine

T

How To Choose An Estate Agent

he housing market is on the move, albeit
slowly, which may prompt you to make
a move yourself! It might be a while since
you were last in the business of buying or
selling a home, so how do you choose the
right estate agent for you?
One of the best methods is personal
recommendation, but you can also take a
look around your local area to see which
estate agents are the most active. Don’t be
fooled by the number of ‘For Sale’ signs on
display though. It’s the ones that say ‘Sold’
which count!
Look for estate agents experienced
in selling properties similar to yours;
chances are they will have a good pool
of prospective buyers. Once you have
identified potential companies, visit their
offices and pretend to be a buyer. You
will soon discover how helpful the staff
members are, and how keen they are to
make a sale!
From your potentials, make a shortlist
of three and invite them to value your
property, but don’t go automatically for the
highest evaluation - this may simply be a
ploy to attract your business. Do a bit of
research yourself to give an idea of what
similar properties are selling for, and
check the agents’ experience and
knowledge of your area.

in reduced enthusiasm. A better alternative
might be to negotiate paying the full fee
if the full asking price is achieved, and a
sliding scale for any offers below it.
It is possible to sell your home online.
Currently responsible for 5% of property
sales, online agents such as Emoov, House
Network and Tepilo offer a basic preagreed package of services for a typical
flat fee of £300-1,000, with extras available
at an additional cost.
Online agents are cheaper and more
convenient, with call centres open during
evenings and weekends, but they are short
of local knowledge, don’t conduct viewings
and may lack the incentive to negotiate
the best selling price due to their fixed
fee policy. Chances are you will need to
become more personally involved in the
sales process.
Whichever route you choose to follow,
all agents need to belong to either the
Property Ombudsman or the Ombudsman
Services: Property.
Happy moving!
By Debbie Singh-Bhatti

Ask what their service includes: Where
will your property be advertised?
Newspapers and online property
websites such as Zoopla and
Rightmove are fairly standard. Who
will conduct the viewings? What
marketing materials will be produced?
Photographs, floor plans and virtual
online tours are some you could
expect. Will a sale board be provi