Selling Your London Home Without an Estate Agent? You Might Be Making a Big Mistake
In this three-minute read, we look at reasons why you should get an agent to sell your home.
When selling your home, you might notice that costs start building up. Paying out for repairs, buying storage to hide away clutter, legal costs, commission fees; there’s a fair bit to budget for, and you haven’t even moved yet.
So, how can you save money?
The answer is definitely NOT by cutting out estate agents and going it alone. While many people are tempted by online-only agencies and their promises of fixed fees, free listings, and guaranteed sales, sometimes it really is just too good to be true.
1) Expertise
Estate agents live and breathe property. They know what sells and to whom. They know the area and how to make your property more attractive to buyers. They provide a valuation of your property based on current market demands and will measure rooms to create accurate floor plans.
A good agent won’t just list your property and wait; they’ll be proactively trying to find a buyer for your home.
2) Marketing
Of course, you can list your home online and cross your fingers, but what if you don’t attract any potential buyers?
A huge advantage of working with local agents is that they have access to online portals plus a database of hundreds of buyers looking for homes. They offer professional photography services to get your property looking its best and produce hard copies of sales details, so buyers can keep your home in mind after a viewing.
3) Viewings
Sure, you can show your property to potential buyers – after all, you live there and know it best. However, viewings are more than just opening the door and showing people round. They take a lot of organising and can be time-consuming. And if you work full time, or have other commitments, who can you trust to show potential buyers around?
Estate agents arrange individual viewings as well as open days. They manage potential buyers for you and provide information about your home without the emotional attachment you’ve formed to it.
4) Negotiating
Unless you work in sales, you might not be an expert negotiator. Can you really risk losing out on the best purchase price for your property?
The best agents are driven to achieve the best sales price for their clients and deal with the back and forth between you and your buyers professionally and quickly.
5) Admin
If you’ve got a lot on your plate, some estate agents can also liaise with conveyancers on your behalf. This saves you time and hassle.
At Shaws Kensington, we like to go the extra mile for our sellers and are always available to answer questions and provide advice.
Give us a call on 0207 3869996 to see how we can help.