Many people forget that agents do a lot of work long before they receive any money from you.

However, some agents work much harder than others, and it’s worth thinking through how involved – or not – you’d like to be in the sale of your property.

The best way to start doing this is to look at the services estate agents in your area offer and deciding which you want to use and which you don’t think you’ll need. It’s worth taking advice from the agents you contact too, as they will know what it takes to sell your type of property in your area – but always bear in mind, they’ll want you to use as many services as possible!

To find agents in your area ask around your friends and family for who they used and search on the internet. A quick search, for example, for “estate agents Manchester” or “Manchester estate agents” will give you plenty to look at.

Below is a list of standard services that every estate agent should offer and a list of additional services that only some might offer.

Standard services

– Free visit and valuation of your home.
– Writing property marketing details.
– Promotion of your property: in local newspapers, online (on its own website and other property portals), sending your property details to prospective buyers.
– Attending viewings with potential buyers.
– Providing offers from buyers in writing.
– Negotiating on your behalf with buyers.

Additional services

– A preference for accompanied property viewings – important if you don’t feel confident enough to show buyers round yourself.
– Adding floor plans or online video tours of your property.
– Committing to advertising your property every week in their local office window and/or local newspaper.
– Property review meetings and online tracking systems, so you can check on viewings and buyer feedback.
– A (free) ‘sales progression’ service, via someone at the agent’s office rather than a call centre. This can save you a lot of time as they help to liaise between the buyers, sellers and other parties involved in the purchase/sale.

Some agents offer a scaled-down service that is charged at a ‘fixed price’. This service usually includes producing property details, promoting your property online, and sometimes – but not always – in the local newspaper.

This service means you’ll have to manage calls from potential buyers and show them the property and follow up to see if they want to view again, make an offer and negotiate the price yourself. The fee is payable upfront whether or not your property sells.

More traditional agents will offer a mix of the services highlighted above and charge accordingly. Charges range from 1% to 2% for ‘sole agency’ (you give one agent responsibility for selling your home) or from 1.5% to 2.5% to sell on a multiple agency basis (when more than one agent is chosen to sell your home).

Some agents will be open to negotiating their fees in order to win your business so it’s always worth asking.

One last thing – it is very important to read the contract you’ll sign with the agent. You need to know what happens if you find a buyer yourself, for example a work colleague, friend or neighbour, how long the contract is for, just in case you’re not happy with the service and want to use someone else and how you would go about complaining if they do a really bad job for you.

Always get these points clarified in the contract before you sign.

Author Bio: Trevor Richards is writing on behalf of Shepherd Gilmour, estate agents, Manchester.

Category: Advice
Keywords: estate agents, estate agents services