Why is instructing a good estate agent so important?

Enquiring via the internet:

So, as most of our searches were going to be conducted in the evening, we sent e-mail enquiries to the estate agencies who were advertising the properties we liked and I was gobsmacked at how few agents responded to these internet leads, at all.  In our offices at Sewell & Gardner we make sure that every internet lead is dealt with on the same day it is received, or, if received after office hours, it will be responded to first thing next morning. My recent experience has taught me that this is not common practise amongst most estate agents and as such there were many houses we wanted to see that we eventually lost heart for after several failed attempts to reach the estate agent.

Viewing property:

After finally managing to get round to see some houses, our next surprise was how many viewings are unaccompanied by the agents. Compared to our Sewell & Gardner philosophy, which is to accompany every viewing as standard because, in our experience, viewers feel more comfortable with the agent so they can properly explore and freely voice their feelings.  Having re-lived the property searching experience myself I can vouch for this more than ever. We were shown the property we bought by the owner, and as lovely as the lady was, we were unable to really delve into the nitty-gritty and ask the awkward questions we wanted to, for fear of maybe offending the owner unwittingly.  This resulted in us needing to arrange further appointments in order to truly inspect the property and answer all of the questions in our heads.

Ongoing contact:

I think that one of the biggest complaints about estate agents is the lack of contact throughout the sales process.  In fact, from the recent Home Moving Trends Survey, carried out by The Property Academy, from almost 5000 responses, it was found that 31% of buyers or vendors expect to hear from their estate agent more than once a week, so I have a funny feeling that a lot of expectations are not being met.   At Sewell & Gardner regular contact is one of our biggest priorities:  We make sure our clients are always informed of progress, from marketing to viewing feedback, offers to exchange and completion and a week will not go by when our clients do not hear from us. Sadly the only contact we had from the estate agent we bought through was when we phoned them, and more often than not we had to chase several times before we eventually heard back.

Solicitor updates:

Sales Progressor, Lauren De Vere

However despite all of the above, the most important thing I have noticed is how crucial it is that the estate agent is in regular contact with the solicitors.  At Sewell & Gardner our staff are NAEA qualified and have a good understanding of the conveyancing and lending process. In addition we have a sales progressor, Lauren De Vere, who was previously a licensed conveyancer, and she is an absolute star for getting a deal though quickly because she knows most of the local solicitors and, of course, she knows the system inside out!  Our team liaise with the solicitors, lenders, surveyors and clients every step of the way to make sure that the deal progresses efficiently and that everyone is in the loop. Sometimes you cannot influence the sales chain (the linked deals below and/or above your own transaction) and the sellers choice of solicitor or conveyancer, so it is hugely beneficial to work with a team who know the process and can immediately spot when there is a weak link in the chain and deal with it before a huge delay occurs.

Our own sale:

Luckily, due to it’s location in Chorleywood, we were able to sell our old apartment via Sewell & Gardner, and the process was a delight, but the problems up the chain dampened the experience for us. The estate agent didn’t liaise with the solicitors which led to avoidable delays being overlooked and inaccurate information being passed on. Obviously, with my knowledge I was able to take the bull by the horns and liaise direct with the other parties, but this is not an opportunity most buyers would get. This has really highlighted to me how critical it is that you instruct an estate agent who has great legal contacts and who can recommend you a solicitor or conveyance to use for your sale or purchase.  Do you know that in the recent Home Moving Trends Survey* it was discovered that 68% of buyers or sellers want to use a solicitor recommended to them by their estate agent.  Another point to remember is that you almost always get what you pay for so being fooled by a cheap conveyancing deal can lead to so much more expense later if your sale or purchase is delayed, or worse, if it falls through!