Why choose an online estate agent?

The way properties are being sold and let is changing, with more and more property owners choosing online agents. Why is online the future?

Traditional agents come with higher fees as they have larger overheads and the first reason people choose online is savings. Your local high street agent will have more experience in the local market and a better understanding of the value but nobody is more experienced with your property than you…the property owner.

Property owners are savvy, they know how much they paid, they know how much they have spent and most are up to speed on local markets. Basically you have a pretty good idea what your property is worth and also what you want it to be worth and this is the starting point for choosing an online agent.

Valuations

So you are thinking about marketing your property for sale and the first thing you want to do is get some valuations, how do you do it?

You may contact a few local agents and invite them to your home to conduct an appraisal, most owners will also look online to see what is available in the local area and compare your property with others to get a good idea of what you can achieve.

Online agents will do this for you, and it may be a surprise to know that your local agent will value your property in the same way. We take a look at your local area, at similar properties, their marketing price and sold prices. Factoring in the original purchase price and any improvements, along with market trends since purchase and come up with a guideline figure. You as the owner will also have a figure in mind that you would like to achieve and the driver may be how close the agent comes to that figure.

More and more high street agents are telling owners to choose them because they regularly achieve over 100% of the asking price for properties, are they being marketed at the right price to start with? If you advertise at £100,000 and get £102,000 could you have gotten more by marketing at £105,000? Makeurmove will provide you with valuation advice, and work with you to set a marketing price with the sole purpose of getting what you want to achieve in the sale price. We won’t use your listing to improve our stats by undervaluing your property. Our goal is to sell property and sell it quickly, not just win your listing.

Advertising

What did you do when you were both looking for property to buy and thinking of selling? You went online, you may have trawled though Rightmove or Zoopla to check for what was available.

It makes sense then that when you sell you also want your property online, with these exact same sites. Sure it’s a bonus to have advertising in your local paper but who really looks at these pages? Agents, people looking to sell or buyers?

The key is buyers you need to have your property where they will look and that is online, the online agent works because of this online presence. Guaranteeing you exposure with these sites and at Makeurmove every sales package includes this as standard, no extra fees to get on Rightmove or Zoopla because it is part of our job. To sell your house we need people to see it, why should you pay extra for this exposure?

Viewings

Your house is on the market and you have a viewer, who is best to show your potential buyers around? A sales person from your local agent, that often won’t have the answers to questions that buyers really ask. Such as, 'what are the neighbours like?' ...or YOU. You have more knowledge about that house than any sales person and as such are in a better position to show buyers around.

Online agents do offer viewing packages, including here at Makeurmove but we have found that sales go smoother with an open line of communication between the owner and the buyer. This starts at the viewing.

Offers & Completion

You have an offer, are you getting the right advice? If you are signed up to a traditional agent on a commission basis by % then you may not be, an extra £1000 for you could cover legal costs but is only worth £10-£25 to your agent. Are they really driven to get the best possible price or just a sale with a reasonable commission fee for the branch?

At Makeurmove we offer fees that are fixed, whichever package you sign up to the most you will pay is the amount you agreed to at the beginning. This means we are motivated to make you happy, getting you the extra £1000 is more important to us than getting you a sale which leaves you dissatisfied.

Once an offer is accepted you enter the conveyancing process, arguably the most complicated and often the stage that raises more issues. You need someone you can trust working for you to speed this process up and make it as smooth as it can be, that middle man is your agent. Having an agent that handles this for you, talking to all parties in the chain, providing regular updates on progress gives you peace of mind. Makeurmove have staff with experience in the conveyancing process and are with you every step of the way.

Challenge Us

Let us provide you with a comparable valuation by contacting us today and answering a few simple questions, should you go on to register with us we will provide you with £25 cashback on any package.