How to choose the right Cheadle estate agent in a more challenging market!

If only eenie, meenie, miney mo worked for choosing an estate agent, life would be a lot simpler. But unfortunately, not all agents are created equal, so it is important that you choose wisely. 

Sadly estate agency in this country is not held in the highest esteem with consumers. Some of this is probably justified, however there are equally some excellent agents that put their clients front and centre of everything they do. Choosing the right estate agent to sell your home should be seen as an investment! Most people’s home is their biggest asset and yet some sellers entrust this to the cheapest low cost online model they can find. It’s bizarre and makes no sense and choosing the wrong agent can, not only make a significant difference in the selling process, but also cost you a considerable amount of money, so it’s important to take the time to find the right agent for you. 

Here are our tips to help you choose the right estate agent:

Look for experience

Look for an agent with experience in your local area, as they will have a good understanding of the local property market, be able to give accurate, informed advice and help you to  make the right decisions to facilitate a smooth move.  

Check their credentials

Make sure the estate agent is registered with relevant authorities. You can verify this information by checking with the relevant regulatory body in your area. In our case, as a member of the Federation of Independent Agents, we are constantly monitored, and background checked to ensure we maintain the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. 

Check their track record

Look for an agent with a proven track record of successfully selling properties similar to yours in terms of size, location, and price range, but be careful – an agent with the largest stock of properties may not be particularly good at selling them! Check for the numbers of reduced properties an agent has, which can be a giveaway and also if you want a lot of individual attention and support, you might be better with an agent who focuses on servicing a lower register, as opposed to number crunching. 

Read reviews and testimonials

Look for reviews and testimonials from previous clients to get an idea of the agent’s reputation. Google reviews are the most popular now, but there are other review websites such as reference line and All Agents. Like most, good forward-thinking agents, we invite all our clients to provide feedback and we listen intently to what clients are saying to ensure we are constantly improving our service offering to meet the needs of our clients in an ever-changing market. 

Meet with the agent

Schedule a meeting with the agent to get a sense of their communication style and professionalism. During the meeting, ask questions about their approach to selling homes and their marketing strategies. What does this include? Check out their listings on Rightmove – what is the quality of the photography? Do they use video or 360 virtual tours. Is the marketing blurb stale and cliched or engaging and sells the lifestyle of the home and the local area. Also, do they have an established, active database of buyers that they are regularly working with? These things can make a real difference. 

What else are they doing? 

Check out an estate agent’s social media platforms. Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok have become increasingly popular platforms for attracting new audiences and getting more eyeballs on the properties which an agent is marketing. Relying on a decreasing number of portal enquiries is not enough to attract buyers. Estate agents with poor reputations don’t want to have it exposed and are unlikely to be using social media and missing out on a huge potential audience of buyers. Estate agents whom embrace social media and engage with their audience are more likely to be the ones that sellers now call out as they almost feel like they know the agent before they have even met them physically.

Compare fees and services

Ask for a breakdown of the agent’s fees and services offered and compare this information with other agents in your area. Make sure you understand what you are paying for and that you are getting value for your money. What is important to remember though is not to confuse cheap and value. The two are not the same. One of our favourite sayings is “the cheapest agent is not the one offering the lowest fee, but the one who puts the most money in your pocket at the end of the transaction” 

A low cost online agent taking an upfront fee, has absolutely no incentive to push the boundaries and achieve the best price possible for the seller. Most good high street agents operate on a strict “no sale no fee” basis and you only pay for results. A skilled negotiator may be able to get you another £5k over the asking price in the right circumstances, which more than covers their fee and leaves you with more money at the end of the sale. Cheap fees are often false economy.

By following these tips, you should be able to choose the right estate agent for you, who can help you sell your home quickly, for the best possible price and make the process simple and stress free. If you would like to discuss selling your home in SK8, SK3 or M22 please call Joe, Patrick or Maurice on 0161 428 3663, e-mail sales@mkiea.co.uk, pop in to our high street office in the centre of Cheadle for a chat or book a marketing consultation online following this link Book a FREE Market Appraisal