Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2011 | Page 24

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Island Life - February/March 2011

Country Property
WOODLAND - FARMLAND - EQUESTRIAN

Localism or Londonism –
How to choose your agent?
For many or indeed for most people,
the largest asset that they will own
during their lifetime is their home and
the largest single fee that they will pay
to a professional is the commission
that they pay to an estate agent when
they sell this asset. That is why I and
other agents get such a buzz about
being instructed to sell an exciting new
property. It is also why sellers should
take extraordinary care when selecting
an agent to appoint.
A recent survey found that over
half of all home movers stated that
they selected the agent who they
instinctively trusted the most and less
than 10% selected the agent who
offered the cheapest fee. It is so very
important that you trust your estate
agent. In this challenging market very
few sales get through to completion
without one (or often two) glitches and
it is times like these that the client and
the agent really need to be able to trust
each other to agree a strategy on how
to move forward. The survey also found
that for over two thirds of home movers
the fee was either not the main reason
for the final choice of agent or not an
issue at all. Obviously if the agents
were quoting ridiculously high fees,
then the survey might have elicited a
different response, however it is plain
to see that sellers are looking for levels
of trust and service when making their
selection.
It is no coincidence that trust and
level of service are often prevalent in
local independent firms. Without high
levels of both of these, agencies would
not thrive and indeed they would not
have survived the last few challenging

years. There is a tendency in today's
market for people to be seduced by
slick marketing franchises promising
the earth but perhaps delivering little.
Track record and experience is so very
important and that is what you get with
local independent firms. The Island is
blessed with a number of such trusted
firms.
It seems to be 'the norm' these days
at the top end of the Island's market
for sellers to invite 2 or sometimes
even 3 agents out to pitch for their
instruction. Often the seller finds that
the choice between the agents is hard
to make as they feel that they can trust
them both and the choice then ‘turns’
on the agencies' Unique Selling Points.
They all have a website, they are all
on Rightmove, they all have offices,
and County Press advertising. So how
experienced are they, how proven is
their track record? can the agent deliver
more competitive national advertising
rates? Can they
offer a link up
with a national
or international
organisation
such as Mayfair
Office; do they
offer professional
photography?
who has the best
floor plans (do
they give a total
floor area and a
north point), how
well-designed are
their brochures?
Some of
these 'selling

Sam Biles MRICS FAAV

points' will be more important than
others to different sellers. For agents
to maintain their stocks and to satisfy
their customers they need to constantly
look at ways that they can maintain
trust and offer levels of service that are
demanded ever-increasingly in today's
market.
Localism is a buzz-word in the
media at the moment and seems to
be something the current government
is focusing on. Corporate companies
or national franchises often have slick
advertising but without sound local
knowledge and experience of the
vagaries of the Island’s unique property
market, it may count for little. Make
sure you chose the agent you feel that
you can trust but make sure they have
enough unique sell ing points to make
your property stand out from the crowd
– and using a local agent keeps the
commission on the Island!

www.creasey-biles-king.co.uk
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