When it comes to selling a home, the vast majority of people use an estate agent – but how do you know the one you choose is going to work hard to get you the best deal in the shortest possible time?

Always remember – choosing the right estate agent to sell your home will take time to research and you’ll need to ask as many questions as possible when they visit your property.

Typically, people rely on two main criteria when deciding to instruct an estate agent. They’ll pick the agent who:

– charges the lowest commission rate; or
– offers the highest valuation.

However, you should never choose an agent based on either of these criteria – they are marketing tricks!

To find the best agents to value your home, you’ll need to spend a few weeks researching. Look at which agents are selling property locally. You can do this by looking in the local newspapers, looking at For Sale signs outside houses in your area, talking to friends and family or searching on the internet.

For example, if you’re in Manchester search for “Manchester estate agents” or “estate agents Manchester”.

You’ll get a useful list of agents you can contact.

Once you’ve found agents who have sold properties similar to yours in your area, visit their offices. One tactic, which may seem underhand but is vital research, is to visit as a buyer interested in properties like your own. You can then judge if you’d be happy with them selling YOUR home. Consider the following:

– Are the staff pleasant and helpful?
– Do they know what’s happening to prices in your area and how many buyers there are at the moment?
– Can they explain the reasons for different prices of similar properties?
– Do they seem knowledgeable about the local area as a whole?

Some estate agents have no idea how to sell in a slow or falling market – which is the market we have right now! In a slow market, choose an agent who is selling property similar to yours and ideally was in business during the last falling market in the early 1990s.

Get a list of three good agents if you can and invite them to value your property so you can decide on your favourite one. Have a list of questions ready to ask them, including:

– How many similar properties have they sold? At what price?
– How many viewings and how long did it take to sell the properties?
– How many buyers are looking for properties like yours?
– Which trade associations are they members of?
– Ask for a minimum and maximum price for your property: What price would they market your property for? What price would they expect you to get for your property? What price would they value your home for a ‘quick sale’?
– Who will do the property visits?
– Can you have a copy of their contract?
– How and where will they promote your property?
– What are their charges – and when do you have to pay?
– How would complaints be handled? Is there a third party complaints procedure?

Get full and frank answers to these questions and you should be ready to pick the estate agent you want to work for you.

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

Category: Advice
Keywords: selling your home, estate agents, manchester estate agents