Choosing a real estate agent in Kingston upon Thames
Making sure you hire the right estate agent for you is not an easy task, but it is one that is very important and will greatly impact how enjoyable the moving home experience is for you, with the wrong estate agent the move could be an extremely stressful and drawn out process for you, furthermore it could end up costing you more in the long run. Finding a real estate agent:The first thing you need to do is get a list of estate agents in the Kingston upon Thames area, you should be able to get this from a simple internet search. Once you have a list of estate agents call around a few and narrow down your long list of estate agents to a short list of ones that you like and appear to be reputable and well established businesses. Research these estate agents online and read some customer reviews about the services each of the estate agents provide, you may find that an agent you thought seemed like one of the better ones actually has had a lot of complaints made about it by other customers.Interviewing a real estate agent:Once you have a shortlist of estate agents you like, you will need to interview them face to face. Make sure that you interview at least 3 different estate agents. Make a list of questions you would like to ask before you go so that you don’t forget any of them, these should include:• How experienced are you? How long have you been an estate agent?• What qualifications do you have in real estate?• How many properties did you sell last year? How may did your company sell?• How long does it usually take you to sell a property?• How are you currently advertising properties that you have for sale?• When comparing your final selling prices to the initial listing prices, is there a shortfall?• How often and in what medium can I expect communications from you?• Do you represent the buyer, the seller or both? When you are interviewing the real estate agent get a feel as to what they are like, are they listening to you and taking in everything it is you want? Are they coming up with useful and helpful suggestions? Where do their priorities seem to lie? Do they make you feel confident that they will work in your best interests?Choosing a real estate agent:After you have interviewed your favourite real estate agents you will need to start comparing them to decide which one is best for you. Although it may be attractive to, don’t just go with the cheapest real estate agent that you can find, you need to make sure your real estate agent is working for you and in your best interests. Check the references of the real estate agents and speak to previous clients to ascertain what level of service they received and whether they would recommend this real estate agent. Negotiating fees:Once you have decided upon a real estate agent you will need to negotiate and fix the fee’s, i.e. the payment for the estate agent. Remember that fees that are low may result in the estate agent not really putting much work or effort into the job, so always be competitive in how much you offer. Consider offering a fixed price for selling the property at full price, and a sliding scale of payment for below the listing price, i.e. the lower they sell your home for the less money they get. Make sure you read any contracts with estate agents fully before signing anything.