Tag: estate-agent-in-radlett • BookLikes

text 2022-04-01 09:19

How to Find a Good Estate Agent for Your Needs?

If you’re looking to buy or sell a property, there are quite a few things you wouldn’t know. The experience of a good estate agent can make or break your search for properties or buyers, so you will need one in all cases. Let’s point out what you should be looking for:

Asking for Recommendations

This may be the obvious first thing to do, but you should ask your friends, family members and any coworkers who may have moved with the help of estate agents. Ask whether they were happy with the services of a specific one, or look for any signs around town that indicate agents are working in your area. Look them up online as well, to expand your pool of potential agents for hire.

Check their Industry Credentials

Estate agents need to be members of The Property Ombudsman Scheme, something that allows complaints against them to be investigated independently. A lot of the estate agents out there will be members of trade bodies as well. Their membership in those means they have to keep to a code of conduct, something that requires a level of professionalism typical for the job. The trade bodies may include the Guild of Property Professionals, the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), as well as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Members of these schemes will be putting their membership upfront and centre whenever they can.

Going Up Close

You should visit your shortlisted estate agents, doing so as a potential buyer looking for a property similar to your home. Take note of the way they behave and consider if they will be good for your needs.

Invite Agents to Value Your Property

You should shortlist agents, but still, keep your options open. No less than three agents should be invited to value your property as you go forward. When the property is valued, you should not feel too impressed by whatever assessment is given by the agent. This could be a way to ingratiate themselves to you so they can win you over. You need an honest, fair agent who doesn’t overvalue your property, as that may fail to get a buyer at the same price.

Asking the Right Questions

You should ask how much the agent charges for sole agency and what the tie-in period is. Sole agency means the agent is the one holding exclusive rights to sell your property for a set period. If the property is sold by another agent at this time, you will have to pay the sole agent their fee, as well as the fee for the agent who made the sale. Fees for the sole agency may range between 1-2.5%, with a tie-in period spanning as far as eight weeks.

How much is the charge for multi-agency the agent is asking? A multi-agency arrangement means that several agents will have the property on their books. The successful agency will be granted the fee. The fee in question will be somewhere between 2.5-3.5% of the sale price.

How long has the agent been established, what kind of experience are you dealing with? An established agent will have experience selling properties, but one that operates close to your home will provide greater familiarity with the neighbourhood and other important details.

How much will the property be advertised? If the agency gets it done right, then you should have examples of other advertised properties to get the hang of how they handle that important part of their business.

©Open Estates

text 2022-02-26 04:29

Ask the Estate Agent These Questions When You Want to Buy a Home

openestates

Whenever you want to buy a house, there are a few questions you will need to ask of your estate agent. The questions will help before you make an offer and you negotiate prices. Let’s get started:

Why is the Owner Selling the Home?

One of the first and most important questions to ask when you’re looking for property. The estate agent isn’t obliged to answer, but if you are convincing enough, they may drop some hints about the circumstances of the sale. You may understand whether the owner was desperate to sell or not, and what the underlying reasons may be. Would you need to know specific facts about the home you’re buying? The biggest fear you may experience when you’re buying is to miss out on some negative about the property that may have skipped your attention. There are many details you could pay attention to, such as environmental factors, unpleasant neighbours and more. All of those could help lower the price or even make the purchase pointless if the area is hard to live in. If you have any doubts about the home, ask some neighbours nearby for more information before you commit.

How Did the Property’s Value Change in the Last Few Years?

This information should be easy to find on the Land Registry website, so check it out and see the previous sold prices. Be ready to ask questions about the changes to the property’s value, especially if there were any drops in those in recent years.

What about the Local Neighbourhood?

What is the local crime rate? What schools are available for children? What are the transportation links like? What is the location of the nearest petrol station and food store? There are many questions to ask, but you can also do the same by doing some research of your own.

Are there Local Plans that May Affect the Homeowners?

If you are viewing a property because you enjoy the landscape, you are undoubtedly interested in keeping it looking the same way for years. If there are plans underway for new housing development in these fields, you will want to know of that sooner or later. Ask about this possibility before you make a purchase, otherwise, you’ll need to deal with the consequences later on.

What Does the Sale Include?

You should ask that question to your estate agent. Knowing whether the garden shed or the greenhouse of the property are included, whether the fittings and fixtures are part of it, knowing where the boundary of the property lies. All of those questions are worth asking and knowing before you commit to the purchase. A good conveyancing solicitor will ensure your purchase has all of that agreed upon on a viewing verbally. You should compare quotes from the local conveyancing solicitors as soon as possible.

How Long has the Property Been on the Market?

If the home has been on the market for longer than three months, then you should ask the agent why the property isn’t selling. Are there any problems that the people have spotted that you haven’t? Is the price too much for the average buyer?

How Long have the Owners Lived on the Property?

If the current owners have decided on moving out after a short period of ownership, you need to find the reasons why. This is extremely important before you make a purchase, as you may be setting yourself up for owning a property that is hard to sell.

How Many Times Did the Property Change Hands?

You need to be aware of any possible issues if the property has been changing hands repeatedly over a short period. You need to find the reasons and you may need to contact the previous owners to ask why they decided to sell

©Open Estates

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