Key Questions To Ask During Your Estate Agent Valuation
When the time comes that you are in a position to be selling a property that you own, one of the most important things that you can do to get the process started in the best fashion is make sure that you select the very best available estate agent.
A good estate agent can make the difference between a smooth sale and a torturous one and believe us when we say that nobody wants a torturous one. It doesn’t have to be a case of blind picking and hoping for the best. In fact, the more proactive and involved a client is in the picking of an estate agent, the better your individual service is likely to be.
To give you a good overview of what you might expect down the line, here are some of the key questions to ask during your estate agent valuation.
1.Ask Them Plainly About Their Valuation
There is no point relying on an estate agent to be open and fluid with their valuation. They might choose to withhold certain information if they are not pushed, so take it upon yourself to push them.
Ask openly and plainly how much they think they value the property is valued at, and then once you have their initial figure in your possession you can consult an online tool like propertypriceadvice.co.uk/valuation to see whether the number you have been quoted corresponds to the size and standard of the property in question.
2. How Much Are Their Fees and Costs?
Estate agents in most countries and locations will charge a percentage of the overall final sale, so it is important to make sure that you are fully aware of all of these charges before committing to any single company.
To help you make your mind, it is always good to get a full rundown of what services they offer and what each percentage of their fee goes towards. By doing this, you can begin to compare and contrast and come to a final decision on which agent to use.
3. What Type Of Contract Is On Offer?
Estate agents offer a wide range of different contracts including sole selling rights, sole agency and multiple agency. It is really important to make sure that you know exactly what kind of contract you are signing up to because once the ball is in motion, it is almost impossible to stop.
Certain contracts specify that once signed, you are not allowed to enquire about the business of a different company, which makes the process of finding out every possible detail before committing an even more important factor.
4. What Marketing Steps Are They Going to Take?
Make sure to enquire about exactly what the estate agent is going to be doing to put your house in the most sellable position possible. Which platforms and methods are going to be utilised? High street storefronts? Online listings? Local newspapers and publications?
All of these details are important to discover before signing on the dotted line, because whilst one estate agent might have all of these methods as standard, others could charge extra for different types of exposure.
5. Are They Part of A Redress Scheme?
There are unfortunately occasions when an experience with an estate agent is less than ideal, and on those occasions, it is important to know they are part of a Property Redress Scheme that helps to resolve these complaints and issues.
In the UK especially, verified estate agents are required to be members to such a scheme, so a guaranteed way to know if you are dealing with someone professional and authorised is to ask them whether they are part of a redress scheme or not.
Ultimately, you should be looking at an estate agent who is there to provide a catered service to your needs, so it is vital that you make sure they can handle those needs rather than taking a backseat and burying your head in the sand as to their actions.
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