Do you have questions for your estate agent? If you’re thinking of selling or letting your home, but don’t know where to start, here are some useful questions.

But first, choosing estate agents?
Before you tackle the ins and outs of listing your home for sale, you need to select an estate agent. You should select a shortlist of three agents to value your property. The easiest way to choose is to check the Google rating for the businesses, and read some of their reviews.
You should also go online and take a look at the quality of their property listings. You can call up the office to ask a few questions or try to book a viewing and see how helpful they are. When we’re not in lockdown, pop past their office and take a look at their window display and office.

Now, here are some questions for your estate agent, for when they come to value your property.

1. Where will my property be advertised? You want your property listed on Rightmove, Zoopla, Prime Location and On the Market. You also want to be told it will be prompted using all forms of social media, such as: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. If the estate agent has a prime location on the high street, you will want your property visible in their agency window.
2. Who takes the photos and using what device? You would assume all estate agents have either a professional SLR camera or a fully trained property photographer on hand. But you’ll be surprised at how many inexperienced juniors will be sent to take photos using their mobile phone! Bear in mind also that some agents will charge you an extra fee for professional photos.
3. How did they come up with the proposed value? When it comes to the property value, ask the agent to justify the figures they provide. They should be able to produce evidence to show you why they have come to this figure. Have they done research on other properties in your area? Or perhaps they themselves have sold several homes in the vicinity.
4. Who will conduct your viewings? How much experience does the viewing representative have and will you be charged for evening and weekend viewings? You will want to know whether the person who attends the viewings is familiar with your home and equipped to answer all the questions they may get asked. You should avoid agencies who have weekend staff, who work just one day per week to carry out viewings. These people will often be unfamiliar with the properties, the market and the process of renting or purchasing a property.  You should also bear in mind that some agencies charge for conducting viewings. Others might offer viewings during restricted hours and expect you to conduct those outside their working hours. This is worth confirming from the outset.
5. What penalties will apply if you withdraw your property from this agent? Most agents will have a minimum marketing period and a notice period. Others will also have a fee which is payable if you wish to take your property off the market without selling. You can even ask for a copy of their agency agreement, this way you can check the small print before committing.
6. Can they advise you on how to make your property more appealing? An experienced agent will be able to spot the property features most likely to entice or put off a prospective buyer. They should be able to offer some guidance on how you can stage the property, or which repairs you will need to carry out before commencing marketing.
   

Estate agent comparison site
Finally, you’ll need to use your personal intuition to gauge which agent you’re likely to get along with and who you feel is most trustworthy. Beyond this you can use a comparison site, of which there are several (such as GetAgent or NetAgent). These tools will allow you to compare the percentage of asking price achieved and the time to sale for most local agencies.

Jameson & Partners is an independent estate agent located in the heart of Altrincham town centre. Whether you are looking to buy a new home or rent a property, to sell your home or start letting out your property, we can help. Contact us on 0161 941 4445 or book a FREE PROPERTY VALUATION with us today.