Selling your home is a big deal, it’s not something to be rushed into.  There is a lot to consider.  What will you gain from a move? were will you move to? what are your key requirements? the list goes on and on. Then you get to the questions about finances.  To work out what you can afford, with or without borrowing, you will need to get and idea of what your own home is worth, but you are not ready to have your home valued in person, because you are still at the research stage and, quite frankly, you know once you invite agents in to value your home, they will be subjecting you to the hard sell, wanting you to get onto the market now, even though you are not yet ready to do so.

What are we afraid of?

Let’s be honest, the image many of us have of an estate agent coming to value our home is not great.  In they come, armed with masses of literature, some to support their valuation and some “to leave with you” explaining why they are the only agent in the land that can sell your home, at that price, faster and smarter than their competition.

Despite when you booked the visit, being assured that they understood you were not ready to put your home on the market, the agent starts with the hard sell.  Explaining why you should sign up today, why now is the right time to be on the market, even being offered a discounted fee if you sign on the dotted line now.

And if you found the strength and energy to resist signing up. Just as you have decluttered all of the agents brochures and Rightmove reports. The phone starts to ring and ring and ring

“have you has any more thoughts around your property sale yet?”

“I wanted to tell you about a great new deal we have on”

“We have a family who are sold, they will buy your home”

Sound familiar?

No wonder people are reluctant to invite agents into their homes until they are ready to go onto the market!

Research, without the hassle

There is no better way to get an indication of what your house is worth than having an in person valuation by a reputable estate agent.  However, there may be many reasons why you are not yet ready to have a face to face valuation yet.  It could be the fear of being in the scenario above.  You may need works done on the property before it’ is ready to value.  You may be clinically vulnerable and worried about having people come into your home with Covid-19 infection rates rising, or you name be very emotionally invested in the property and you just aren’t ready it put it on the market yet.

One solution to getting an indication of what your property is worth, is by using an online valuation tool

Whilst these tools give you an instant idea of what your home may be worth.  They may not be that accurate. As they cannot take into account the finish of your home. Improvements that may appeal to buyers.  Nor can they keep up with a fast market, such as the one we are in now.

A virtual valuation

To get a much better idea, we have our virtual valuation  The virtual valuation is a form that you can complete. It asks for more specifics about your property to enable us to give a more informed valuation. You can even upload photo’s.  Once you have submitted the form, we will call you back within 24 hours with your valuation, which will be followed up with an emailed report.

After you have your valuation and report. We wont call you daily/weekly asking if you are ready to go into the market again.  You can even unsubscribe from our newsletters.

Giving you time and space to make an informed decision on the next chapter of your life

You may well have seen we offer a heads up property alert service, you may think it sounds a bit of a gimmick. Or think it’s just a group on facebook where Harrisons list properties online before they hit the portals.

It’s none of the above. (though we do have a Facebook group). This is unique and incredibly useful way for buyers to find their next next home. One that lets you stay in complete control of your property search.

In Sittingbourne, Faversham and Sheppey we are finding the same thing. Many properties are being sold long before they are listed on the property portals.  Whilst this is great for sellers, it’s very frustrating for buyers. Who constantly have to chase estate agents for anything coming up that may fit their criteria. Knowing that when they do call in, the chances are they will have to endure the hard sell of a property that doesn’t match their  requirements, being told “why not view it? we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised”

Sound familiar?

Here at Harrisons we understand that your time is precious, you do not want to be chasing agents weekly to see what properties are coming up. Nor do you want to be receiving calls from agents telling you about a completely unsuitable home for you that’s coming onto the market pressuring you to view.  And you certainly do not want to be giving up your spare time viewing properties you have no intention of buying.

We also understand that, for many buyers, the house that they think they are going to buy at the start of their property search, is not necessarily the house they end up buying, once they have started to think about how they will live in it and how a property will meet their needs.

What is the Heads Up Property Alerts service?

This is why we have developed the Heads Up Property Alerts system. It gives you full control of your property search.  You can create your own profile,  and specify your property search criteria. Once done you will be notified of properties that are coming onto the market, before they are listed anywhere else.  You can modify your search, or unsubscribe at any time.

We’ve put together a short video to explain the system in more detail.

So, if your are looking to buy a property in Sittingbourne, Faversham or Sheppey. Take advantage of our unique new service and find out whats new to the market before anyone else. Sign up for heads up property alerts here: https://bit.ly/353SZpS

Harrisons Homes have won two ESTAS.  The first being “Best In County” making us officially the Best estate agent in Kent.  We also picked up a Gold  for The Best Estate Agents 2021 Award (South East)  

It is hard to believe, it’s just over a week since we were nervously heading up to London for the ESTAS awards.  This was the first time we had entered the ESTAS.  The awards that are judged on genuine reviews.  To have made it to the shortlist of finalists was amazing. To have made it this far was fantastic.

The ESTAS is a big deal in the world of estate and letting agents.  Think of the Oscars of the property industry, you should get the idea.  The award ceremony is a glitzy affair, held at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.  Hosted by TV’s Phil Spencer.

Not one, but two

Knowing that we were in the running for a bronze, silver or gold award for the The Estate Agents Awards 2021 in the South East region, we hoped to pick something up.  Phil called the gold winners to the stage, and Harrisons Homes name came up on the big screens we couldn’t believe we had won a gold.  Delighted with our trophy, we started to relax.

There was more to come.  Phil started to announce the best in County awards for sales and lettings. We almost didn’t hear him call us to the stage to collect our Best in Kent Award 2021 for Sales.

To say we are over the moon to have picked up two more awards is an understatement. Especially as they have come so quickly after winning The Agents Giving award for Best Fund Raising Campaign for our fund raising for Holding On Letting Go.  We have also been shortlisted for Community Champion of the Year by The Negotiator Awards.  We’ll find out next month if we have won. Lets hope we can make it a hat trick!

If you are thinking of moving, why not choose an award winning estate agent? An agent that is recognised for their charity and community work. Plus awarded Best Estate Agent In Kent. Based on feedback from genuinely happy clients.  Call Harrisons today, to find out how we can get you moving 01795 474848.

We are still buzzing from being awarded Best Fundraising Campaign by Agents Giving at the weekend, so imagine our surprise and excitement to have been shortlisted for a Community Champion of the Year by The Negotiator magazine. Being recognised for our local community and charity work is something we are very proud of.

The Community Champion of the Year Award is one of thirty three categories for awards this year.  To see a full list of categories and the agencies that have been shortlisted, please visit The Negotiator’s website

Winners will be announced at the “big reveal” on 26th November, at Grosvenor House, Park Lane London.  The Harrisons team will be attending to celebrate having made it to the shortlist.  Wish us luck!

To find out more about the work that we do within our community for charity, and why we do it.  Please give us a call on 01795 474848

Since this article was published, Harrisons Homes have been awarded two more awards at The ESTAS Awards. Awarded Best In County and Gold in The Estate Agent Awards 2021.  For more details please read our blog.