You need to hear this before selling your house. I’ve got 3 things you absolutely must do in this market and 1 thing that gets you in trouble.
If you’ve been addicted to House Sigma or reading all the real estate headlines, it isn’t shocking to hear that the market isn’t how it used to be.
In the years before there was an average of around 1800 agents in London and area. During Covid this number shot up to 2300!
With so many new agents, my number 1 must do in this market is hire someone with experience, because experience matters in this business. The average agent- and this is a generous stat because it includes the high performers- only does 2.3 transactions per year. You likely wouldn’t go to a dentist who only sees 2.3 patients in a year and feel confident they can do a root canal. Why hire an agent who maybe only bought or sold 2 homes? It’s your biggest investment!
Secondly, you want someone with a track record of good performance. Most agents will tell you all the amazing things they’ve done- but can they give you references or show you video testimonials from clients who loved them? How will they market your home? What strategy will they use? How can their network and connections help you? Definitely worth asking these questions.
My third thing is the type of services they’ll provide you. Do they hire professional photographers, bring in staging consultants, use technology- automation, SEO algorithms, targeted social media? What about 3D mapping, virtual walk throughs? We have a client portal for you to log in and see exactly what is happening and when. In this market- you need to go all out- getting the max attention and exposure in the first 10 days makes all the difference in getting the job done.
OK, the one thing that gets some people in trouble is hiring their relative, friend, neighbour because they want to be supportive or might feel guilty. But more times than not, this isn’t in the best interest of the client. If you’re in this situation, let them know you are going to meet with 2 or 3 agents and you’d be happy to consider them in this group.
There is a lot riding on your sale- more so than ever in this market. Hire someone with the right experience, performance and services. You’ll be glad you did.