Looking for a good Real estate agent
It is a difficult choice for homeowners whether to hire a real estate agent or to do it themselves. Both choices have their pros and cons. Looking for real estate agents means you have to dig into your pocket for real estate agent fees, whereas some property sellers prefer to do it themselves, others prefer to part with the small price to save the small client headaches. One advantage of selling your property is you go away with the original principal on the house.
Looking for a good Real estate agent
Common estate agent fees
In this article, we talk about how much should you pay for agent fees and ways of finding the best agent and even selling your own house.
All real estate agents are not the same, some agents charge an upfront fixed fee, while others take a percentage of the premium. They charge differently because of their reputation, connections, experience, and how fast they can get your house off the market.
For example, letting agents have huge local client understanding and have quick access to other agents who know other buyers who might be interested.
The price for most agents is about 1% to 4% of your home’s sales which might be imp0acted by the value-added tax of your country and bank charges.
The agent’s flat rate is often determined by their experience and reputation and often increases with the amount of involvement and time taken.
buying or selling a house
Always talk with your agents before signing the contract on their flat rates. Get to know the flat rate and other inclusive charges upfront these can be things like viewings, listings, and marketing fees.
Some agents only offer the bare minimum of just listing your house, others will host open houses, take photographs, schedule viewings, and contact other agents making them more expensive.
Agents do all the required work like processing legal documents, negotiating with potential buyers, and follow up on leads.
Additional estate agent fees
While it may look obvious just to list, finding a buyer, and making the sale, it is not the only work real estate agents do. Agents should get you the most probable price for your house. Here are some services that agents offer at additional fees.
Premium listings
Listing websites like properties.co.ke ,haofinder , rentpoa, Anza, and toletdigital.com allow agents to post short descriptions and pictures for your property. Other agents browse these listings for properties that reach their client’s demands making your property to be seen despite there being millions of listings. You might get a little attention amid all listings, but what about paying a little more to have your property at the popular list in the forefront. Premium listings as they are called need you to pay for more user experience and putting your ad at strategic points. Premium listing companies charge agents more for this service and the agents transfer the cost to the property owner. Premiums listings may also include highlighted text and larger photos that can be easily seen.
Professional photographs
The human mind is more concerned about first impressions, house sellers may talk of having the latest phone that takes the perfect picture but you need a professional to do what they do best.
Some agents do offer photography at a fee, the pro of this is they are accustomed to taking property photos and know their angles well. They also know how to stage your house and perfectly balance the lightings to come out with perfect pictures. Am talking Hollywood-level photography here. Professional photos can make you sell sooner rather than later because people buy value and it is what you are offering them.
Property viewings
Once a client sees a good picture of your property the next step is viewing. It is not great for property owners to conduct viewings themselves because of the emotional attachment to their property. Hosting someone who views your house will mean all the negative comments, critics, and other uncomfortable questions.
Most buyer’s preferences are agents as compared to property owners. The owners might make them uncomfortable and breeds unneeded pressure. Agents charge a fee for property viewings although a little bit expensive it is worth it.
Agents have interacted with similar clients and sold similar properties they, therefore, know the right way to approach a client, through highlighting its special features. They also know how to spin the less attractive aspects into positive ones. Agents are also conversant with answering questions in an unbiased way.
Although viewings don’t directly generate sales, it helps the agents to give out comments that they can use to increase the value of the house or generate future sales. They can adjust your listing information and make some small alterations that will ultimately generate sales. An agent at property viewings makes more sales than the owner who runs their property shows.
Outdoor Sale boards
A sale board is planted on your lawn or fronting to alert passersby of your intention to sell. The “for sale” board is great for pedestrians and motorists who pass by your property, they might not get the ad but they will surely see the sign.
A signboard on your fronting can increase word of mouth and inquiries from neighbors who might want to view and sometimes buy your house. You don’t have to go too far sometimes just a tea party or a book club can be where you find your client.
On sale, boards may make the buyer get an idea of the location, size, and neighborhood. Sometimes pictures can lie. Different agents charge different fees for selling boards and printing them.
