Which estate agency should you choose?

When the owner of a house or flat decides to sell it, a whole range of emotions comes with it. Perhaps they spent the best years of their life there, perhaps every corner reminds them of a loved one. We rarely part with properties without regret. That is why we also want to get as much money as possible for the property - so that these unpleasant feelings become at least a little more bearable.

Of course there are situations in which the owner of a flat has never even spent a night in it, yet that person too wants to gain as much as possible from the sale.

There comes a moment when they start looking for someone to help them in this process: someone who will arrange a professional photo shoot, hold viewings for potential buyers, find the best one and see to all the formalities. In today's article I would like to describe what to look for when choosing the best estate agency.

"Low commission? I'll take it!"

Countless clients of mine are owners of flats and houses that another estate agency has failed to sell over the past one, two or even three years. When such people come to me with the question "Ms Marta, what is wrong with my house that it won't sell?", I often simply feel sorry that I have to tell them the brutal truth.

It most often goes like this: there is nothing wrong with the property itself. The estate agency that has been trying to sell this house so far offered a low commission (e.g. 2%), but listed the property at far too high a price, counting on a miracle, that is, on a buyer turning up at such a price. The owner, who knows nothing about property prices (after all, that is why they hired an agency!), believed the agent's promises that the given price for their house or flat was achievable. And it is not.

If a buyer can choose between this property and another of a similar floor area in the same city, they will choose the other one, because it will be, say, 10,000 - 50,000 PLN cheaper. And so the months will keep passing without a sale.

What is more, most agencies work on so-called open agreements - they charge commission to both parties. It is paid by the seller and by the buyer, who will also have to add the agency's commission to the price of the property. And yet the buyer did not hire the agency. This puts the client off, as they do not feel right about the additional cost in the form of this commission. Do not choose an agency that also charges the buyer a commission. In our view this is not necessary.

Professional property photos - we buy with our eyes!

Photos play a huge role in the process of selling a property. It is not enough to snap a few shots with a phone. A good agency will carry out professional home staging - it will remove from the frame unnecessary furniture, belongings and elements that put buyers off. Owners do not notice them because over the years they have grown attached to a particular look of a room or terrace.

A reliable estate agency has in its ranks a competent person able to prepare the interior and surroundings of the property for a photo shoot and a virtual walkthrough. They will bring out its greatest assets and show its real size, space and atmosphere.

Some properties require small modifications, e.g. changing the colour of a wall, adding a few flowers or other elements that bring the interior to life (e.g. fruit on the kitchen table). Adapting the property for the shoot in this way can make its value rise in buyers' eyes by as much as several tens of thousands of PLN. I have seen this for myself many times.

An estate agency that downplays the issue of high-quality photos and does not produce a virtual walkthrough is not the one we should choose to work with.

"The first offer is in (lower than expected) - WE SELL!"

No. A good estate agency will not sell a house or flat for a price lower than the one agreed with the owner. It can show patience and firmness in negotiations, because it knows what price can realistically be achieved for each individual property. What is more, an experienced agent will be able to judge, on the basis of the first conversation, whether a potential client can really afford to buy the property on offer. They will turn away those who show only short-lived enthusiasm and merely hold up the sales process.

Summary

If selling your house matters to you, it is worth choosing an agency that has these three basic characteristics:

• it does not take the lowest commission, but the selling price it proposes will be a realistic market price rather than an inflated one. (You pay for effectiveness and professionalism);
• it expertly prepares the property for a professional photo shoot and produces a so-called virtual walkthrough (we buy with our eyes even before we enter the flat or house);
• it knows how to vet potential clients very well and keep to the price agreement with the owner (a matter of experience).

Answer the question for yourself: do you want to work with an estate agency that may offer a low commission (most often charged to both parties), but approaches the matter incompetently and not entirely honestly, or with one that is effective, efficient and professional? Which is more important to you?