Employing a homesearch agent is no luxury; not even for
the first time buyer?
Homesearch agents have really come into their own in recent
times as the buying public have realised that at long last
there is someone on their side. For years the buyer has
thought that the agent will help them, he probably will
up to a point, but at the end of the day he is paid by the
vendor and his loyalty is to the vendor. Buyers will tell
the agent that they would like to offer "Y" but
if pushed will offer "X", what do you expect the
agent to tell his client? If you employ a Chartered Surveyor
and Relocation Agent who knows the ropes, his sole criteria
is to act for you and to do his utmost to get the right
property at the cheapest possible price and with the minimum
of hassle.
I
have achieved this on several occasions this year. I have
been given an indication of what my clients will pay and
they have been delighted when I have been able to tell them
that the property has been secured for less. This may nearly
accommodate my fee within their budget. If you use a Relocation
Agent who is a Chartered Surveyor he will understand the
survey report and deal with any problems that arise and
willingly renegotiate the price. It may rightly be pointed
out that the Homesearch agents is also "cutting his
own throat" by getting it for less. Most of us are
paid on a percentage of the final price. In my view this
is part of the service and something, which I am pleased
to do. A good job done, often leads to recommendations and
more work.
I
have acted for several first time buyers recently, unlike
some Relocation agents, the price level where I start is
no influence to me as for whom I work. My company has bought
properties at £72,500, a few years ago now, admittedly
and we have found properties for over a million. First time
buyers can be very rewarding to work for, they usually don't
know the ropes and are delighted to find someone who "will
hold their hand". I am currently doing just this, the
husband is exceedingly busy and the wife has two young children
of three and under. Consequently it is a mammoth exercise
for them to find the right house themselves. They have no
experience of the negotiations and they are not conversant
with mortgages, types of surveyor reports, what is meant
by exchange of contracts etc, or dealing with the aggression
of some agents.
A lot of the agents with which I deal are very nice people.
We respect each other and many of them will ring me about
new instructions, we understand the nature of each other's
job.
Other very satisfying instructions have occurred when we
have helped people with mobility problems find the right
property with the necessary door widths providing access
for a wheel chair can be quite a problem.
Our fees are not extortionate when considering that they
are only payable once a property has been found and contracts
exchanged, apart from the initial modest retaining fee.
We can save you so much time on travelling to see houses
which turn out to be inappropriate to your specifications.
We will view all properties first, which may seem suitable
and then report back to you.
We would hope to find the right property within your budget
in a reasonable period of time. Should the right property
not be available we will continue the search with an overview
after six months of research.
Written by Michael Chandler FRICS.
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