Choosing an estate agent can be a minefield, especially in Bishop’s Stortford with so many estate agents to choose from. You may be worrying about who is going to be able to get you the best selling price for your property. What if you pick an agent and your home sits on the market for ages not selling? Or more importantly you may be wondering what sort of service they provide. Well fear not! Here’s my guide on how to choose an estate agent in Bishop’s Stortford, so you can be confident you’ll get the price you want, in the time you want, with fantastic customer service to top it off.
Personality
People buy from people they like – there’s a reason for that. You’re likely to deal with the estate agent you choose for several weeks if not months, so you need to choose an agent you trust, who you get along well with and who has a winning personality. Ask them, will the estate agent who values your property be dealing with you from start to finish? Can you always contact them when you need to or could you end up dealing with junior members of the team at a later date? It’s important you have one point of contact and someone who takes responsibility for looking after your sale from start to finish.
Evidence
It’s something I hear all the time – a property seller gets three valuations from three estate agents and every figure is completely different. Sometimes with a difference of £50,000, £60,000 or even far more between them! That’s when disaster can strike – an over valuation can see your home sitting on the market with no offers for months or even years. So how do you know whose valuation is accurate? That will be the agent who sits down with you and shows you properties that have sold in your local area recently, properties that are on the market right now and who shows you how they came to their figure. If one valuation is much higher than the rest, then it’s probably too good to be true and you’ll end up dropping it within a couple of weeks anyway, as I so often see. Instead make sure you do your research too, it’s easy to get sold house prices in Bishop’s Stortford.
Home staging
The estate agent you choose should offer you free home staging advice i.e. a consultation which will help you to present your home in the best way to get the best selling price and to sell it in the shortest timeframe. If not, they’re not the right agent for you. Home staging doesn’t need to cost a penny either. For example, advice on rearranging furniture to make the most of your space or de-cluttering won’t require you to fork out your hard-earned cash and advice like this should all be part of the service. If your home isn’t presented correctly for sale you could see a lack of interest and a long time before you sell. Instead choose an estate agent offering home staging as part of the service as it’s so key to achieving the best results when selling your home.
Photography
Rightmove is the new estate agency shop window. Especially for residents in Bishop’s Stortford with their busy lives, nearly every home hunter turns to the internet to find their next property. With that in mind your property photos are incredibly important and have to look their best. People form first impressions exceptionally quickly and so a buyer could easily be put off if your pictures are sub-standard. Your agent should be using professional photography which shows off your property well which will attract the most buyers and get you the best offers.
Modern marketing
Estate agents must also be up to date with modern marketing techniques and particularly social media. Have a look, are they active on Facebook and Twitter? Have a look at their adverts on Rightmove, are they fresh and different or do they look like they’re stuck in the dark ages? An agent that embraces modern marketing is far more likely to attract the most buyers for your property.
Gut instinct
Ultimately though your gut tells you who is right for you. You’ll feel which estate agent is right for you based on their personality and who you could like and trust. Yes you should do your research but our instincts have a big part to play and sometimes you just have to ‘go with your gut’.
If you’re thinking of selling your home then get in touch. to book a free of charge valuation with The Personal Property Shop. Home on the market and not selling? Then sign up to receive our FREE pointers to help you get your home sold.