Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you charge more than XYZ Agents?
We have to compete to win business and want to bring that principle into our branches. Our negotiators compete with each other and the wider market to sell clients property, and whoever gets the deal through earns commission at an industry leading level. We know of no other agent in our area that offers better staff incentives than we do. We believe that good well motivated staff are our most important asset in selling property, that makes them your most important asset too.

Estate Agents are all pretty such the same aren’t they?
No. Estate agents all tend to use that same kind of marketing resources; press adverts, websites, sale boards, brochures, and software, there the similarity ends. However slick an agents marketing is, it is only as good as the people behind it, they in turn can only be as good as their working environment dictates. Many agents become too reliant on adverts and software systems to do their selling for them, diminishing staff to passive message conveyors. Software and marketing cannot ever qualify buyers, chase & conduct viewings, vet offers, chase solicitors, surveys, mortgage companies, or the 101 other things that can crop up in the process of finding a buyer and getting a sale through to completion.

How long will my property take to sell?
There is no direct answer to this. The length of time a property spends on the market can depend on a wealth of factors. Current figures from the National Association of Estate Agents suggest the average length of time from instruction to point of agreed sale is about 12 weeks, but within this there are properties that sell within days and others that are still on the market after several months. The important thing is to understand your objectives in relation to market behaviour, which is what we are there to advise you on.

I’ve seen a property, when’s the best time to make an offer?
There isn’t a right or wrong time, but consider your circumstances. Seller’s are likely to take a more favourable view of an offer if it is likely to result in a completed sale sooner rather than later. If you need to sell a property and it isn’t yet sold or even on the market, sellers may reject an offer that they may have accepted if you had a buyer.

When’s the best time to put my property on the market?
If you’ve made the decision to move, there is no real gain in deferring putting your property up for sale to try and time it with seasonal cycles. There are always people looking to buy even at traditionally quiet times. There are less people actively looking to buy in December for example, but you will tend to find that those who are looking at this time of year are often very good buyers – no one want’s to look at Christmas unless they have to!. Wider economically driven factors affecting property markets tend to have a greater impact than seasonal variations.

I’ve had several valuations and they’re different amounts, which one do I trust?
Any property is ultimately worth what someone is willing to pay for it – and this can vary from one buyer to the next, and naturally can vary according to how house prices are behaving in general. This means you can, to a degree, tailor your exact asking price to suit your circumstances, but consider that a slower market will require more realistic aspirations. We base valuations upon knowledge of the local market, collating land registry sale figures, and reviewing properties that have recently been, or are currently on the market. This information should form the basis of any valuation, and is easily provided to substantiate our opinion. These days, the internet makes it easier than ever before to do a little research of your own. It is also very easy for Agents to offer ‘unsubstantiated’ valuations, ultimately any valuation that seems too good to be true very probably is, and the market will always be the final arbiter.

What’s the difference between ‘exchange’ and ‘completion’?
Exchange of contracts is the point at which your sale/purchase becomes legally binding, and neither party can pull out without incurring serious penalties. Completion is the point at which the property title transfers to the new owner in law. All outstanding monies are paid to the seller, and the property is now owned by the purchaser. A date for completion is fixed at the time of the exchange of contracts, this can be any time after exchange (it can even be simultaneous with the exchange if necessary) and will occur at a date mutually agreed between buyers and sellers. On the day, completion normally happens late morning/early afternoon. It is not possible to predict exactly when it will occur, funds need to clear through the banking system. Once cleared funds land with the sellers solicitor completion has occurred and the buyer can collect the keys to their new home.

How long does a sale take to go through?
Like the time taken to sell in the first place, the length of time a sale takes to work through to completion varies according to a wealth of different factors. A chain free sale is no guarantee of a fast, easy sale, neither does being in a chain necessarily mean a long and stressful transaction. As a general rule the fewer factors involved in a sale, the quicker it should go through, but any sale can only move as fast as the slowest aspect, and things don’t always go exactly to plan.