A 2019 questionnaire asked participants ‘for each profession I am about to read, please tell me if you generally trust them to tell the truth or not’. Unsurprisingly, politicians ranked at the bottom of the table, with only 14% of participants claiming to trust them. Closely following them were advertising executives, government ministers, journalists and estate agents. In that order. Estate agents were trusted to tell the truth by 30% of the participants.
Why have estate agents developed this bad reputation?
Now let me be the first to admit, when personally dealing with estate agents myself I can honestly say there were a few that I could not trust. The same could be said of many professions though. Some estate agents feel the need to be bold, brash, and even rude in some instances. Is it the excessively branded cars or the flashy watches?
Let us start by saying there is nothing wrong with a flashy watch, everyone has their vices. As for the cars, maybe they’re a bit garish, we’ll give you that, but they’re have been proven to be great advertising. We may be biased, but we think estate agents get too much bad press, and here’s why.
They provide a useful service
Estate agents are professional sales people who offer a vital service and help you get the best price for your home. Technically it is possible to market and sell your house yourself, but although it may save you some money in fee’s, it is also very time consuming, stressful, and challenging. People think just advertising the property and doing the viewings is enough. They don’t always see the work behind the scenes. Negotiating the price, dealing with numerous enquiries and questions, and most importantly progressing the sale. Without us constantly chasing solicitors, brokers and chains, many of the sales would fall through.
They’re the Go Between
Estate agents Bow are the middlemen and women in a stress filled marketplace that is full of problems. Often, dealing directly with a buyer can lead to tensions flaring over niggly points, again causing sales to fall through.
The Figures Don’t Add Up
Despite the fact only 30% of people claimed to trust estate agents, another study by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy found that 82% of buyers and 83% of sellers were satisfied with their estate agents. So, the figures don’t quite add up.
Perhaps estate agents’ reputations precede them, perhaps there are some stuck in that 80’s double glazing salesperson mould. Overall, I would like to think they’re not that bad at all, you just have to give us a chance, but of course, we’re biased.
Useful Links : Estate Agents Buckhurst Hill, Estate Agents Bermondsey
