There can be nothing better suited to the internet than property, and hits to property websites far outnumber those of any other industry.
The ability to be able to search in the comfort of your own home, usually without having to provide any personal details, is certainly attractive and has transformed the way the public begins to look for their new home.
So will the internet replace traditional (or in our case contemporary) estate agency? It would certainly seem not.
Ultimately property search portals are regarded by buyers as a supercharged local property newspaper, with a fairly comprehensive selection of homes on offer.
As many sellers will have discovered, the benefits of using an estate agent far outweigh the simple ability to source a buyer. In some ways, finding the buyer is the easy bit!
The internet certainly helps the agent to do this, which in turn frees up time to be more proactive in helping those buyers identified as being particularly motivated.
At the same time, buyers who are “just browsing” need not feel neglected as the internet will keep them happy for hours on end, and might even prompt them to take a more positive step towards moving. Apart from that, we find the internet really useful!
The internet ‘DIY’ companies cannot and do not:
- advise on detailed property matters in context,
- interpret the market and factors affecting the market,
- provide strategic marketing advice,
- accompany buyers round property,
- encourage buyers to view unexpected properties,
- prompt a buying decision,
- negotiate your offer or indeed any revisions post survey,
- provide information about your buyers chain and financial position,
- chase solicitors,
- understand a survey,
- hold a chain of related sales together,
- or provide reassurance when things go wrong.
Once paid their upfront fees, the rest is down to you!
Also beware of their hidden fees for extra ‘services’ that we cover within our normal service and day to day routine. It tends not to be a cost saving exercise after all. Statistically, you are more likely to sell faster via your High Street Agent, and at more money, easily covering our fees.
In fact, we will not advise our Clients to accept a sale to anyone selling via a DIY agent, as we have no way to verify their chain.
Furthermore, some solicitors are now charging extra, due to their inevitable increased workload.
