Our New Homes Negotiator Sarah Gili-Ross explains the A-Z of Estate Agency Lingo…..
When I started with Sewell & Gardner the estate agency world and the terms people use day to day were all new to me.
This is a simple A-Z of terms used at the Sewell & Gardner office. Most are estate agency terms, but others are a little tenuous, but you think of something beginning with X, Y and Z!
A is for Applicants.
If you’re looking for a property that’s you!
B is for Boards.
“For Sale” boards are an important aid for us to market your property.
C is for Conveyance.
This expression covers all the legal work involved in the transfer of ownership of a home from one person to another.
D is for Deposit.
This could describe your personal contribution towards the price of the property, or a small holding deposit, or the ‘deposit’ at the time contracts are exchanged (normally 10%).
E is for Exchange.
This is a crucial step. It is the point when both sides are committed and, in effect, the deal is done.
F is for First time buyer.
This describe those of you who are purchasing a home for the first time, and therefore do not have an existing property for sale.
G is for Ground Rent.
In the case of you purchasing a leasehold property you will pay a small ground rent to the leaseholder, often paid annually.
H is for Highly Recommended.
96% of our customers voted us ‘Highly Recommended’
I is for Internet.
The Internet is a crucial tool in helping us market your property using portals such as Prime Location, Zoopla, Rightmove and our own website; www.sewellgardner.com. We are also active on Social Media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
J is for Joint Agency
This is when you appoint more than one estate agent to market your property, of course we would advise going with sole agency (see: ‘S is for Sole Agency’ below)
K is for Keys.
For your piece of mind your keys are secured and never labelled with your property address, and locked away in the office (us having your keys makes your life easier so that viewings can go ahead whether you are in or out)
L is for Leasehold.
This type of tenure is where you pay for the right to occupy a flat, apartment or maisonette for a given length of time, paying ground rent to the freeholder.
M is for Maps.
At Sewell & Gardner we supply you with a handy booklet which includes detailed maps of the lo
The New Homes Team
N is for New Homes.
At Sewell & Gardner we have a team specficially dedicated to the sale of New Homes.
O is for Offer.
If you are interested in a particular property, please come and discuss it with us and will put forward your offer to the Vendor (see below).
P is for Part Exchange.
This is now possible when buying a new home with many developers allowing a prospective buyer to trade in their existing house in part exchange.
Q is for Qualifications
Many of our staff are NAEA qualified and we promote the importance of using a qualified agent.
R is for Reward Card.
The Sewell & Gardner reward card is exactly that, we reward you by getting discounts at local business.
S is for Sole Agency.
This means that only one estate agent has been instructed to handle the sale of your house. I would highly recommend Sewell & Gardner to act as your sole agent!
T is for Tenure.
This term describes the main types of property ownership – the most common is freehold but flats and apartments will usually be leasehold.
U is for Umbrella.
Not a technical estate agency term, but if you find yourself caught in a shower, please pop in for one of our brilliant Sewell & Gardner umbrellas.
V is for Videos.
We can offer property videos as part of the marketing of your home.
W is for Watford Observer.
Our local paper that showcases our current properties and advertise new home sites delivered to your home.
X is for eXcellent customer service.
Well it’s close enough! Sewell and Gardner have won 2 ESTA awards and 3 Sunday Times awards in 2013, including a gold for customer service.
Y is for Y Choose Us.
Why choose us, let us tell you Y at https://sewellgardner.com/about-us/
Z is for Zzzzzzz.
Don’t use a sleepy agent; use someone that is proactive and lively (like us) to market your property.