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Original poster

Estate agents grrrr. What would make selling your house easier?

53 replies

dhw · 19/01/2007 15:51

We are starting an Estate Agency specialising in family homes. We are aware that agents generally have a pretty poor reputation and we aim to change people's perceptions - (at least locally).

What in your opinion would attract you to selling your home through a paticular agent?

We have lots and lots of good ideas about how to make it a good, honest, friendly service, but your feedback would be very gratefully recieved.

DHW

OP posts:
Tutter · 19/01/2007 15:53

honestly? all i'm interested in is who can sell my house the most quickly for the most money, with a not-taking-the-piss commission

so, when we moved last time, we went with the agent who'd sold the most properties locally for the best prices

but i bet i'm unusual, and other people are looking for a 'connection'

poppyh · 19/01/2007 15:53

Considerating baby's nap time and no viewings after 6pm. My agents are good but they dont consider our kids and my DH works nights sometimes and they were a bit unsympathetic towards him needing sleep!

hermykne · 19/01/2007 15:53

ease of accomodating viewings

we are presently putting our house on the market and went with a firend of mine who has kids and understands family life, plus she can sell the house to families with htat insight.
dhw i'd say oyu have a head start already.

they are going to keep a key for ease of access if we are away and they have a viewer.

madmarchhare · 19/01/2007 15:55

tbh, I agree, its cost at the end of the day. Oh, and keeping you up to date with evrything, just good customer service.

Original poster
dhw · 19/01/2007 15:56

thanks everyone.

Keep em coming!

OP posts:
noddyholder · 19/01/2007 15:57

Hello DH we are thinking of selling atm and have had endless agents round as none of them could put a price on it as didn't have anything to compare it to.I personally would like less smarm and more genuine interest in the property.When are you starting?We may be one of your first customers!Also 2 agents kept pestering us and saying can we bring some people round now before we had even decide!

noddyholder · 19/01/2007 15:58

Accompanied viewings and block viewings to start with.

Original poster
dhw · 19/01/2007 16:00

noddy - will be up and running on march 1st. There will be no smarm with us, i can promise you that!

OP posts:
madmarchhare · 19/01/2007 16:02

I imagine where you are will make a difference too.

I was shocked and stunned when friends in fancy london told me how it all works.

noddyholder · 19/01/2007 16:02

I am sure you will be lovely!

Tutter · 19/01/2007 16:02

lol at fancy london

fruitful · 19/01/2007 16:04

An estate agents who employ salespeople. People who can sell. Our estate agents advertise our property, arrange viewings, let people in to the house, and follow them around saying "this is the living room". Afterwards, they phone them up and I think the conversation goes like this:

Agent - "what did you think?"
Viewer - "the bedrooms were a bit small"
Agent - "oh, ok then"

I'd like an agent who would make an attempt to convince people that they would like to buy my house!

Plus a reasonable level of efficency.

Glassofwine · 19/01/2007 16:05

do you think the home information packs will help the whole process dhw?

Personally I've moved a lot and can't stand agents who send you details of properties that don't match you're description ie. new properties when you've said you only want period.

Things I like are an agent who makes you feel that your call is important ie. calling back quickly. Oh and agents who don't dissappear once the offer has been accepted.

Dottydot · 19/01/2007 16:06

the cost is important, how much the agent sells in the area, and their website. We've put our house up for sale and had 3 agents come to see it. The one we've gone for was the one that (a) offered us 0.7% (the others were 1% and 1.25%), (b) seem to sell the most in our area and (c) have a fantastic website, which if you're setting up a company I can't recommend enough. It's brilliant - look at the virtual map search facilty (I'll put the link below) - none of the other agents in our area have got anything like this and it makes looking so much easier if you know the area reasonably well.here

Mind you, I'm going to phone them because we haven't been in the papers for about 3 weeks and I want to know when we're next going in.

We also get a fortnightly summary in the post of all enquiries about our house, how many people have clicked on it via their website etc.

All in all I'm pretty impressed so far (except for the fact that we haven't sold it yet...).

paulaplumpbottom · 19/01/2007 16:06

An agent who will work on weekends

twelveyeargap · 19/01/2007 16:09

Honesty. I can't bear it when an estate agent looks me in the eye and just, well, lies. It's so obvious.

I've had experience (as a buyer) of estate agents saying "oh, it's on for x, but I KNOW I can get the vendor to take x - 5%". It puts me off dealing with the agent as they clearly have nobody but their own interests at heart.

If I were selling my home, (and bejaysus I've only lived in it for 10 days so I hope it's not for a very long time!), I would want the estate agent to be willing to do out of hours viewings. I have just bought a family home, but both my DH and I work. If you're looking in the suburbs, but work in town, then find something online on a Monday and the agent doesn't do evenings so you have to wait til Saturday and then Saturday is fully booked... blah blah. It's so frustrating.

As a seller, I've always been very happy to have viewers around ANY time. Am about to have a baby, yet know what it's like to be REALLY keen to sell, so it would apply to me even with a baby in the house. I sometimes wonder if poeple really want to sell at all! "Oh, they only allow viewings in the morning..." It's quite odd IMO.

Kittypickle · 19/01/2007 16:10

Getting the details right would go a long way for me. I am fed up of having to re-write them, correct spelling, measurements, tell them which way to photograph it properly etc. Floorplans are helpful.

When a viewing is arranged I want details of the viewers position without having to ask. And if I am in during a viewer, I expect the agent to have a quick word with me after the viewers have gone to give me some initial feedback.

twelveyeargap · 19/01/2007 16:17

Gosh, yes, agree with sales people. Have lived in a couple of rented places, which subsequently went on the market so have "seen" agents in action where I am not hte customer. Eye opener, to say the least.

And excellent website a must - agree. Plus I'd want the agent to have the house on Findaproperty and Primelocation and that other really good property site. I solely used those when househunting - then linked to the decent pics on the agent's own website.

The "foxes" have a great website, although their 2.5% is awfully high and I've never met a staff member I liked. And I have dealt with at least 10 from that company. I LOVE the floor plans they put up. That is SO helpful. You can avoid a lot of duff houses that way. Even if the bedroom is described as "large", you can see if your king sized bed will actually fit in it! Plus, you can sometimes be pleasantly surprised by how well laid out a certain house is and really, really want to see it.

I've lived in 6 properties in 4 years, by the way. 2 owned, 4 rented - so have more experience of estate agents than any person should EVER have!

Twinkie1 · 19/01/2007 16:22

Know about local schools - the last 13 year old we had round to value our house asked me what school DD went to and then raved about how great it was - calling it Our Lady of The Rosemary!!! - silly fucker - he didn't even own his own house!!

Oooooo someone to look after the kids when you are actually doing the physical moving - a fixed rate fee no matter how much the house goes for - a lovely food and cleaning hamper and a good luck card for your new house. Not having people sticking their noses into DSs bedroom and saying you mind if I just flick on the light - er yes I do because I told you DS would be in bed at 7.30 and he was not to be disturbed and as you are an hour late and it is past 7.30 you will have to squint and imagine what it will be like in the dark because I am not having my DS woken by the light going on and your ugly feckin face pokin into his room!!

Sorry - personal issues working through at the moment!!

Lucycat · 19/01/2007 16:26

ohh Dottydot - where are you moving to?

are you staying on your side of the A6 or nearer the Moor?

I like Phillip James website too, very user friendly.

Original poster
dhw · 19/01/2007 16:27

fantastic, thanks everyone. This is really useful stuff.

OP posts:
Dottydot · 19/01/2007 16:29

Lucycat - our side of the A6 - we can only look longingly at the other side!! We haven't got a garden at the moment so the aim is to move somewhere very near but a 3 bed semi with garden rather than our end terrace with yard!

Lucycat · 19/01/2007 16:45

How exciting!

I know what you mean at gazing longingly..... we live in a 3 bed semi, very simliar to the ones that you are looking at, and all of dd's friends live in these huge Victorian/Edwardian piles - she chooses her friends well does my dd

paulaplumpbottom · 19/01/2007 16:46

A good website with pictures that have more than the outside.

dassie · 19/01/2007 16:49

Honesty and weekend viewings