5 tips on finding the best estate agent tips, Buying property guide, Home sales advice

5 Tips On Finding The Best Estate Agent

19 February 2022

Finding an estate agent to help you buy or sell a property is an important task. An experienced, reputable agent can make the process far easier, helping you to achieve your goals quickly and with as little stress as possible. However, don’t rush into choosing an estate agent. Not all can be relied upon to provide a quality service that you can rely on. Read our top tips for finding the best estate agent.

1. Get recommendations and check online reviews

Recommendations are worth their weight in gold when looking for estate agents in Brentwood. You could ask friends, family members and even colleagues who they used when they last moved house and what they thought of them. It’s also a good idea to check online reviews as this will allow you to find out if an agent’s customers have been satisfied with the service they provided. Another good idea is to look for “sold” signs in your local area since this will help you to find agents that are performing well locally.

2. Check for key industry credentials

When looking for a reputable estate agency, make sure you seek out those with key industry credentials. Most importantly, they should be members of the Property Ombudsman Scheme, which ensures that any complaints made against them will be investigated independently. Good estate agents are also likely to be members of trade bodies, including the Guild of Property Professionals and the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).

3. Visit an estate agents as a potential buyer

One of the best ways to find a good estate agent is to visit their office as a potential buyer. Pretend to be interested in buying a property similar to yours, taking note of how they describe the property. Would it make you want to buy it? Would you be happy if you were the seller? If the answer to these questions is no, you may want to think twice about using their services.

4. Get your property valued by three different estate agents

Generally, you should aim to get three different estate agents to value your property. Whilst it can be tempting to opt for the agent that values your home at the highest price, don’t be too hasty. In some cases (but not all), this can be a tactic used to win your custom. When getting valuations for your property, try to find an agent who is honest and realistic. This will improve your chances of selling your home sooner rather than later.

5. Consider the quoted selling fees

When looking for an estate agent, consider their quoted selling fees. Estate agents tend to charge a percentage of the final price, with this percentage varying depending on where you live, the size of the house, the market conditions, and if you’re using sole or multiple agents. Keep in mind that there’s nothing to stop you from haggling estate agent fees. Since they won’t want to lose your business, an estate agent may be happy to negotiate. For this reason, don’t simply choose an agent based on the lowest quoted fees.

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