Stamp Duty Holidays are Over!

The Stamp Duty holidays have all now gone, so there are no monies to be saved in that direction. But do you still need to move house? Do you want a larger garden, more rural situation, more space, less space, easier maintenance?

The one area that you shouldn’t now attempt to save money on is your agent’s fees and the marketing of your home. I’m not suggesting you go out looking for the most expensive agent you can find, but you do need to focus on ‘Value for Money’. Faced with 3 agents all offering a fee of between 0.6% and 1%, who do you choose?

Let’s see if we can provide some insight. At 0.6% there is very little, if any, profit in the transaction. All businesses need to make a profit, or they don’t survive. That agent will look to maintain their profit level by skimping on something. Whether that’s the level, or quality of the marketing and standard of presentation or the sales progression post sale. We’ve heard of people who had sales agreed shortly after the first lock down who, when they finally turned to their buyer after finding a property, discovered they’d walked away! Their agent was oblivious.

The other issue with a cheap fee is that the agent will be keen to get you to take the first offer that comes along, no matter how low it is, or the position of the buyer. Which they may not have checked thoroughly. This is also true for a certain agent who takes money up-front. They really have no interest in your sale – they’ve been paid already! Some TV ad’s suggest you’ll get your money back if they don’t sell but a read through the T’s & C’s will clarify that better than a 60-second TV ad’.

We are often amazed at the quality of photography employed to try and get the attention of buyers. To get the best price, the maximum number of interested parties and viewers are needed. We don’t charge any extra fees for our quality photography, but it definitely attracts enquiries! In a good market any old photo will get you a viewer and maybe even an offer, but will it get you the best offer?

Don’t go to market without all the elements of your property presentation in place. Waiting a few days to get a clear and professional floor plan, up to date EPC and the right photos taken at the right time of day is essential. It’s a well-worn adage but “You only get one chance to make a first impression”.

To have the best salespeople working on your property sale costs money. When I say ‘best’ I don’t mean the ones who will talk a good game, tell you what you want to hear, tell your potential buyers what they want to hear, sound like your best ‘mate’ then throw the deal over their shoulder to whoever catches it. We’ve operated in Ely for 31 years this year and everyone here has a depth of experience that is best employed on your sale. Check out our Feefo reviews  https://www.feefo.com

While you’re there you can see what’s said about a few other ‘big’ agents!

Call us on 01353 665020