Working with your estate agent

It may sound strange but not many people know how to work with their estate agency in order to get the best from them, which isn’t really surprising given that most people only deal with them a couple of times in their lives. It is our intention to help you do just that so that you get the maximum benefit.

Your agent is there to act on your behalf so it is important that they know exactly what you are looking for so that they can help you find it. The more information you can provide them, the easier it will be for them to help you find your new home.

Talk to them openly about your finance situations so that they can advise you on what is best for you when you decide to buy. There are many different ways of financing the purchase and they will be able to point you in the right direction. Information is strictly confidential so feel free to contact them for a chat.

Let them know what type of property you are looking for, but more importantly, let them know the real reason you want to buy. There is a massive difference between buying a holiday home and a main residency. If you are planning to spend more than just holidays here your criteria will probably be different than if you want to use it for a few weeks per year.

Keep in constant contact with your agent and let them know on a regular basis if your circumstances change. By doing this they will be more able to locate a property for you at your new conditions. All of the best agents should be able to put you on an automatic mailing list so that whenever a new property comes on their books you will be notified immediately.

Keep them informed of any changes of your contact details so that they can change their records appropriately. It only takes a quick email these days to inform everyone of your new details.

Get them to add you to their property alert service so that you get notifications of all new properties as soon as they are put on the market.

Organize a specific inspection visit and liaise with them to help you plan it. By planning the trip in advance, you will be able to work out a suitable viewing schedule to save your time and, in many cases, you will be able to identify properties over the phone prior to coming over so that you can rule out any unnecessary viewings.

If you have to transfer funds abroad then chat to your agent to see which is the best, cost effective way to do it. You will probably find that they work with companies that will give you a much more competitive rate than the bank will offer you. You can save thousands of pounds by doing this one thing alone.

Remember that your agent will work together with you to help you find exactly what you are looking for. So, make an appointment to call them now and start to chat about what it is you are searching for. You will be surprised how much it will help you.