With the rise of property websites like Rightmove, it might lead you to ask why you even need an estate agent anymore. However, there are a few reasons they’ve stuck around so long and why your choice of estate agent can have a significant impact on how quickly you buy or sell a property.
Provide Expertise
One of the most important things that an estate agent can do is provide you with an appropriate valuation. They are in touch with market trends and can quickly identify a property’s features that will most directly affect its value.
Without all of this information, it can be hard to price a home appropriately. Go too high, and you’ll never sell; go too low, and you might lose out financially.
A Network Of Connections
A good estate agent has an extensive collection of connections. They are the first point of inquiry for many buyers and sellers. They will usually also keep a list of reliable contractors and lawyers. When you choose an estate agent, you are also getting access to this network. It most often results in a much faster sale process and means that the right people see the right properties.
Marketing
Marketing your property is about more than just putting up a listing. You need to know what features to highlight, what to include in the listing, and where to advertise. When you have an estate agent in charge of selling, they will put the property out into the world through their chosen channels. They will also actively suggest it directly to prospective buyers. You can’t get that type of direct marketing in any other way.
Viewings
Carrying out a viewing can be quite stressful. Showing your own home can be a challenge. It also puts pressure on the buyer. When you have an estate agent, it introduces a third party to the process. This can make viewing smoother, less stressful, and more productive for everyone involved.
Negotiate Terms
Buying a house is one of the few areas in our daily lives where we negotiate over prices and terms. If you’re not practised at it, you don’t know what to ask for or how to get it. With an estate agent, you have someone whose job is to negotiate for you. It’s in their interest to get a reasonable price and to keep things moving.
Other Factors That Can Affect The Speed Of A Sale
If you are trying to get a property deal completed as quickly as possible, it’s not only the estate agent that will affect the speed at which everything progresses. There are two other significant controllable factors;
Lawyers
The lawyer you use will have a massive impact on the speed at which things go. Ideally, you want a lawyer who is not too overworked and will stay on top of your purchase. If they take their eye off the ball, then the whole process can grind to a halt.
Property Assessments
Before a property can be sold, it needs to have all the appropriate paperwork completed. For instance, it is now required that homes have an up to date EPC certificate before they are sold. Getting this sorted quickly and efficiently can prevent it from becoming a stumbling block. At Assessment Hive, we can help to make working with an estate agent a little easier by being your go-to provider for fast-acting property assessments and quick response remedial work. To find out more about how we can help, get in touch today.
