Contrary to popular belief, not all agents do the same thing. Independent research has proven to show properties that have been on the market for 8 weeks or more are 34% more likely to sell and achieve 12% more by switching estate agents as opposed to just reducing the asking price with their existing agent – but why?

Marketing – All homes deserve beautiful marketing, so you want your agent to throw everything and the kitchen sink at it. Can the photos be better? can we re-configure the room to get better angles? Will a drone highlight the scenery better? Is it empty and would benefit from virtual staging, could we add in a twilight shoot? Not forgetting about the video tour to increase enquiry levels. Ensure the floorplan has measurements on it is accurate as having one increases leads by 12%.  

Strategy – In an ideal world, you don’t rush this part. Sadly, this is often encouraged by the second agent as they can be more focused on hitting their market share goals and now creating the most impactful advert for your home possible. So, if you’ve been on the market for 12 weeks now with no success, consider taking it offline, and low-key market it for a few weeks, so when you do re-launch, it’ll appear brand new when buyers are searching. Another benefit of re-launching with a new agent is that it will appear as a new listing on the portals, meaning it gets sent out to buyers in that range. During the low-key phase, you can run a comprehensive social media campaign and actively work your database.

The agent – currently more than 50% of homeowners are having to change estate agents to get their property sold and with a changing market, a different approach and experience is everything. Your agent should consult you on every step to capture the biggest audience possible. Once engaging with potential buyers, it’s not uncommon they will try to negotiate, so your agent needs to know your market – what, when, and how much properties have sold for, whilst having a strong understanding of your community so they can give evidence to buyers why your home is worth what you are asking. If you don’t feel your current agent has this covered, it’s probably time for a change. When taking offers, if we feel they are low, we’ll always ask where that figure has come from. A lot of buyers see the negative media headlines, which are often sensationalised. In a lot of cases after taking an offer, we’ll meet the buyers in person or Zoom calls showing them the data and evidence of what is happening, resulting in increased offers in tens of thousands.

Communication - Lastly, we hear often of agents not returning calls or emails. One of our core values is to call everyone back, and frankly as business owners we know how expensive it is to advertise online and generate leads, so we refuse to let any go to waste. If you’re in a comfortable salary job, you may feel a bit differently.