Finding A Property Search Company
How do I find a property search company?
You can find a property search company in a number of different ways. Obviously, property search companies advertise. You can also find them online. But I think really importantly, you need to ask about. Ask people that might have used one and moved into the area that you're looking to move into, what sort of experience they had. And another good way is actually going into an estate agent's office and seeing: can they recommend a good local property search agent?
What questions should I ask them?
With regards to finding a property search company, the questions that you should be asking a property search agency are; how long have they been in existence, what sort of experience do they have, what sort of houses are they buying, and what experiences do they have of those houses in the local market. When finding the right property search company I think you also need to ask them whether they are local and if they really do know that market. Perhaps you can ask to speak to clients that they've had before and you can ask them lots of questions. This property search company is a company that you're about to put the biggest decision of your life towards, therefore you need to be absolutely sure that they know what they're talking about.
What qualifications must they have?
The property search industry is pretty unregulated. But, I think one of the things you can ask them is: are they a member of the association of eradication professionals? To become a member, they have to have demonstrated two years of good practice; they have to have demonstrated two years of trading. This is one way of insuring that they do have the sort of experience that you need.
How many estate agents should I check?
A good property search agency should be in contact with all the appropriate estate agents in the area which they are searching. And this is why it's important that they're local and they're not trying to search for too many people over too wide an area, because there are a lot of estate agents out there. And without having a really good handle on the right estate agents, they will not be able to cover the market effectively.
Are property search companies independent?
Some property search companies are independent. Some, however, are attached to estate agents and some are attached to financial services. It's important that you find out whether they are attached to either of these, because that lack of independence could be important later on. If you're looking to buy a property through a property search agent which is attached to an estate agent, you have to ask yourself are those details that are so crucial in negotiations, such as your position, going to be held firmly by the property search agency or are they going to be shared with their estate agent sister or brother? The other thing is you should be asking yourself are you being encouraged to spend more money than you might possibly want to spend because they're attached to a financial services partner? I think independence is important. Independence means that you are going to be best represented.
What do estate agents think of property search companies?
Good property search companies should have a very, very good relationship with good estate agents. Property search companies bring clients, they bring retained clients to the market, and estate agents know that a client of a property search agent is a very serious person in the market. This is somebody who is not just dipping their toe in the water; this is somebody who means business. We get on very well with estate agents, we are here to make a market together. Of course, we're here to fight over price often, but we're also here to make a market that is smooth and efficient for both sides of the market. The estate agents are representing the best interests of the vendor; we're representing the best interest of the buyer. Somewhere in the middle we can meet, and we can make a market work.
