When you have decided to put your property on the market, either for rent or sale, the most difficult question you might face as an owner or landlord is to choosing your Estate Agent. So what to look out for?
As your main goal is to quickly let or sell your property for the desired price it is best to find an estate agent with a national network.
This way your property is reaching a wide audience and so you are more likely to find the right kind of tenant. Some agents also work on an international level.
But your estate agent should also have a thorough knowledge of the property situation in your local area, as well as knowing about new developments, schools and local attractions and conveniences, as you are most likely to find your prospective audience there.
Estate Agents should be able to advise you on the presentation of your property as well as provide an accurate property valuation most suited to its area, as preferences change with the areas.
It is thus crucial to find an estate agent with the right balance between a large network, and an extensive audience as well as portfolio (as this will straight away help to market your own property) but also with a strong local presence, as local prospective buyers are tenants usually go to the most recognizable and popular local estate agents.
It is thus a good idea to check their presence in your local area, in the paper and on the internet, as well as having a look at their current portfolio to see what other properties they are managing and if your property would fit well among them.
After having conducted some of your own research, you might notice that there are vast differences between the various estate agents.
If you have chosen an estate agent, it is crucial to make sure that you get full advantage of their services, such as regular updates on the progress they have made with your property, as well as further and extensive advice on how to best present your property, should it stay longer than expected on the market.
Some estate agents offer additional services such as arranging professional inventories, mortgage calculators, insurance services, refurbishments and general property management throughout the tenancy.
Check with your estate agent what services they offer and which ones you would like to make use of. Although this sounds like a lot of work in order to find a good estate agent, it makes sense to achieve the best possible result.
Article supplied to LandlordZONE by Hamptons International – 7 September 2009
