Deciding which estate agent to trust with marketing your property for sale can make a difference to the price that you achieve for your home and to the experience of selling.
Here are our top tips for choosing your estate agent.
1. Get a free valuation
Find out how much your property is worth with a free valuation from a trusted estate agent in your local area. They’ll visit your home to carry out an appraisal with no obligation and will offer advice to help you make decisions on what to do next.
2. Don’t automatically choose the agent with the highest valuation
Of course you want to achieve the highest possible price for your property but it’s also important to compare an agent’s marketing methods, knowledge of the local area and recently sold properties when compiling your shortlist.
3. Ask for a breakdown of fees
Does the agent charge you a flat fee or a % of the selling price? Do they charge extra for professional photos and videos, or supplying schedules for you to hand out to your viewers? Get a complete breakdown of pricing and make sure you ask what is included and what is optional.
4. Decide how much of the process you want to handle yourself
There are more and more agents now that are completely online. They may handle your sale at a lower cost but you will have to do more of the legwork for yourself e.g. taking your own photos. You might prefer to take more of it on yourself but do your research first to understand what is expected of you. Decide which parts of the process you really want handled by an expert and this will inform your choice of agent.
5. Choose one that advertises on the key property portals
s1homes is Scotland’s biggest property site so you want to make sure to choose an agent that advertises on the website See the full list of member agents here.
6. Keep it local
Choose an agent that knows your area. They’ll know the characteristics of your postcode and the key things that will attract people to living there. They’ll also have the experience of selling properties similar to yours in the area.
7. Check their opening hours
Times have changed and agents are now staying open later in the evenings and opening at the weekends to meet the needs of both buyers and sellers. Consider the times you’ll need to be in touch with them and factor this in to your decision.
8. Take advantage of word-of-mouth
Ask friends, family and your work colleagues which agents they’ve used and what their experiences were like to get recommendations of reputable firms, as well as advice on things to look out for.
To search estate agents in your local area and for a free property valuation, visit s1homes.com