Archive for the ‘Estate Agents’ Category

Can you trust your estate agent?

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Some estate agents are routinely getting away with giving incorrect information as there is no real force to ensure they are behaving competently and honestly. Estate agents should treat you friendly and professionally. We are astounded by the arrogance and rudeness of some agents.

Whilst there are some very good, thorough and professional estate agents, there are still too many who are only interested in making their commission. All too often we have had clients who have received incorrect information about Home Reports. Is your estate agent’s preferred Home Report provider really offering something different? The contents of a Home Report are set by the Scottish Government and you can expect a competent service by any RICS Registered Surveyor.

Remember that estate agents are not Chartered Surveyors and require to pass your business onto a surveying firm in every case. Estate Agents should have an obligation to make sellers aware that it is not legally necessary to use their preferred surveyor when selling their home.

Bad Advice

To give a recent example, Rollo Davidson McFarlane refused to market two of our clients’ properties without a Mortgage Valuation Report – even though they had a full Home Report. We often discover that sellers are being incorrectly told that a Mortgage Valuation Report should be included in a Home Report. A Mortgage Valuation Report is not a required document within the Home Report.

How much extra are you being charged for a Mortgage Valuation Report which is considered useless by lenders after 2-3 weeks? I have heard of estate agents who push sellers to have a Mortgage Valuation Report updated every three weeks – at your cost and their financial gain!

Any seller deserves to at least expect honest advice from their agent. Don’t just take our word for it – it is advisable to seek information from independent sources such as the Scottish Government or the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

If you have a complaint about your estate agent please leave a comment.

For more information on Home Reports visit:
RICS – Home Report Guide
Scottish Government – The Home Report Documents

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Selling your home privately

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Poor service and high fees are the reason why more and more people are choosing to sell their properties themselves rather than use an estate agent. People are becoming more informed about the property market and questioning what there is to gain by using an estate agent. Anyone can sell their property themselves easily with minimal guidance. It is time to think about what estate agents actually offer and whether you could do it better yourself.

Sellers often complain to us that estate agents do not do enough to justify their commission. A good agent knows how to sell a house, and is unlikely to offer the seller a really poor service. It seems that too many people forget that the agent is employed by the seller to help them to get the best deal for them in every aspect.

How to Advertise

Anyone can put a For Sale sign up outside their home. Anyone can advertise property in the newspaper or online. There are many websites which offer the facility to advertsise online and many prospective buyers who visit them. The vast majority of home buyers now use the internet. Estate agents do not require a professional qualification and nothing they do is especially difficult. It is time to consider if it is worth paying someone thousands of pounds to provide a service which you may be able to do for yourself.

Two things are clear to us – how important the internet is in marketing your property, and what an unpleasant experience it is to deal with most estate agents.

There is lots of good info on the web to help you get started.

Useful links:
How To Sell Your House Privately
Home Report & Online Advertising

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