Estate agents' role as vital as ever

Some wouldn’t even know where to begin when it comes to boasting about their property or finding the right people to move in.

The role of the estate agent has changed over the years, with the internet allowing people to do most things for themselves. But that doesn’t always guarantee you the best deal.

That’s where our friendly neighbourhood estate agent steps in. Someone who can guide you throughout the whole process, asking the right questions on your behalf and taking you on accompanied viewings to help you find your dream home.

And in these challenging economic times, an estate agent is also there to get the most out of your money and ensure everything goes smoothly.

One local expert from the industry said: “We are dedicated to finding buyers for a property. We are aware members of the public use other sources to find a home but what we do is we try to attract a buyer, which involves taking calls and talking with people. We have a knowledge about the area.

“It takes staff and man power. I think that is why people still come to agents. A lot of people also don’t like negotiating with buyers face to face.

“What we do is give buyers and sellers confidence. Our experience as well goes a long way. In the past this was important but now it is more important than ever.”

One question which people always want to ask is how much an estate agent’s commission fee is.

Our expert continued: “The general consensus with a lot of people is that they don’t know where the money is going for the charges.

“In essence there are staff to pay and advertising and media costs. The client doesn’t have to pay until we have done the job. They can walk away and it hasn’t cost them a bean.

“We could do an enormous amount of work and not get anything in return. Some people don’t think about the other side of the coin.”

Another expert in the field said: “There is a perception that all an estate agent does is put a few pretty pictures in the windows and hope for the best. There’s an awful lot more to it of course.

“People think that an agent’s fee of about £3,000 if an awful lot of money but when the work is spread across 12-14 weeks, you can see the value of money people are getting.

“People always want to know how much we charge, and how much we think people’s homes are worth. They also want to know what we are doing for our commission and we do our utmost to explain what is involved. If people are trying to sell a property and there’s an enquiry, you wouldn’t know anything about them. We are also able to look into people’s financial situations.”