Frequently Asked Questions» Do you act like an Estate Agent? » If I can't find a house how will you be able to do any better? » I can search for my own property, why should I pay for an agent to help me? » Can you help me save money? » How do you operate? » Why don't more people use Home Search Agents? » Once retained how long will you go on searching on my behalf? » How many clients do you take on at any one time? » What local knowledge can you provide? » I want to obtain the property discreetly and retain my anonymity » I live outside the area and find viewing properties difficult. How can you help? » Is this service just for properties at the top end of the market? » Why do some properties just seem to be sold without being for sale first? » What happens if I register with you and subsequently find my own property? Do you act like an Estate Agent?No, an Estate Agent will offer you properties that are available only through their agency. As most vendors and landlords in the UK use one agent only, you need to make contact with all the agents to find out just what is available on the open market at any time. We aim to find all the properties matching your search criteria from all the agents, in addition to those not openly marketted. The biggest difference however, is that we work for you unlike Estate Agents who work for the vendor or landlord. « top If I can't find a house how will you be able to do any better?Finding the ideal property can be very time consuming. We are able to use our local knowledge and contacts together with a proven method to give you the best possible opportunity to find the right property. « top I can search for my own property, why should I pay for an agent to help me?We aim to make the whole search process easier and less time consuming for you. In Winchester alone there are over 20 Estate Agents! In addition, we may save you costs in travel and accommodation (particularly if you are out of the area). Using a relocation agent reduces your chances of paying more than you need to for your property. If you live outside the area, local knowledge can be particularly useful when choosing a new location to match your lifestyle. « top Can you help me save money?Yes. Apart from the time and expense saved in conducting your own search, we can offer advice leading up to and during the negotiation stage and if required, we will negotiate on your behalf. This can lead to significant savings to yourself - possibly well in excess of our fee! « top After walking the High Street and spending time with Estate Agents, I ended up with a bundle of brochures, most of which weren't any use. How do you operate?At the start of the process we will discuss with you what you are looking for enabling us to make an initial search of the market. We will sift out all properties that don't match your criteria and report our findings. After further conversations the process then repeats itself with your feedback being used to refine our search, including new properties as they become available. « top Why don't more people use Home Search Agents?Firstly, because it isn't part of the house buying culture in the UK, secondly because buyers don't often know that it exists and thirdly because it is perceived to be an additional cost rather than saving you money. It is worth considering why 99% of vendors use an estate agent. They do so because even though it costs to use their service, most vendors recognise that even after deducting the agents commission they recognise that using an agent they will be financially better off than selling privately. The same logic can easily be applied when using a Homesearch Agent - how can I pay the least for my property. « top Once retained how long will you go on searching on my behalf?We would anticipate that once retained we would continue working with you until you have found your ideal property. « top How many clients do you take on at any one time?It is our policy to ensure that we do not have a conflict of interest between any clients. You can be assured that we will not act for another client where the search parameters of cost and location overlap. « top What local knowledge can you provide?The largest single reason for relocations to fail is that the area is unsuitable for the lifestyle. We aim to understand exactly what you require from your new location - schools, clubs, sports facilities etc. and use this information as part of our search criteria. We can also help to locate solicitors, surveyors, builders and anything to do with the process of moving. « top I want to obtain the property discreetly and retain my anonymityWe always respect client confidentiality. « top I live outside the area and find viewing properties difficult. How can you help?All properties that are shortlisted (after the initial search and subsequently any new ones becoming available) will be viewed and reported to you. Ideally a day will be arranged for you to carry out accompanied viewings and we would normally make all arrangements for you. « top Is this service just for properties at the top end of the market?No. The majority of our searches for purchasers are in the range £350,000 to £800,000 and for rental property between £1,000 to £2,500 pcm. « top Why do some properties just seem to be sold without being for sale first?Often vendors want 'discreet marketing', this means that the property is often not advertised in local or national newspapers, not in the Estate Agents window, not on the internet, no 'for sale' board outside and may not even have a brochure produced. These are the properties that you will not get to hear about! « top What happens if I register with you and subsequently find my own property?Commission is payable when you purchase or rent a property introduced to you by us. « top |
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