Working With Your Estate Agent

What can I do to get the best out of my estate agent?

To do the best job with your estate agent, I think you want to provide them, preferably, with keys, so they can get in whenever they need to. All you need to be able to do is to tell your estate agent when you're likely to be there so they can call you before they come in. Access is always the biggest issue.

Will my estate agent work better if I ring them all the time?

Estate agents tend to like a relatively easy life, don't we all. So the fact of the matter is if you badger your estate agent quite a lot, they are going to want to get rid of you more quickly. So the chances are, you may find yourself being dealt with in front of the queue rather than in the back.

What will make an estate agent favour my property over others?

Estate agents tend to work on a volume principle; they want to keep turning properties over, so therefore, if you can put your property at a price level which is slightly under that of your position, that's going to put it at the front of the queue in the estate agents' minds. They're going to think it's easier to sell. At the end of the day, conversely, the strange thing about this is that you may find that just because your price is a bit lower, you end up with several different buyers going for it, and the price may well only end up higher, so it's always a good strategy.

What can I do if I don't like the way my estate agent is advertising my property?

If you're not happy with the way your property is being advertised you can tell your estate agent. But at the end of the day, the estate agents know what they're doing. They know what the public likes. Just because you don't like it doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong. I think in that stage you have to trust your estate agent.

How will the agent use the internet to help sell my home?

The majority of buyers for properties these days are "armchair" shoppers, and 80 percent of most searches, certainly in number and probably about 60 percent of the country start online. So therefore it's a very important medium to get people in the first place.

Will the agent put my property details on more than one internet site?

There are several property portals, and the majority of estate agents will now advertise on one of them. So the fact is being on the internet means you're simply everywhere.