“All estate agents advertise in the same places”

If you have ever been told by an agent that all estate agents advertise in the same place, this is one blog you may want to read.

Every estate agent marketing in the same place, in the same way, may have been the case a few years ago. But in today’s housing market, this couldn’t be further from the truth.  If an agent says this in their pitch for your business, they are out of touch with today’s buyers.  There is no way that this agent is going to do an outstanding job, when it comes to selling your home.

The legacy of the property portals

Up until the last few years, it was generally accepted by both the public and by agents that portals such as Rightmove, Zoopla, On The Market, etc. mattered in the property market.  The wealth of new portals that have been added to the list in the past couple of years, would at first glance, appear to confirm this as very much being the case.  If an agent discusses with you how they are listed on all the major portals, this is a good thing, portals are a tool in an estate agents marketing toolkit.

However, if an agent tells you that their competitor isn’t on one or more the major portals, do not assume this is a bad thing. Nor should you discount the competitor.

The perception that you have to be listed on all of the major portals to show it to the most people and get the best price. Therefore it doesn’t matter which estate agent puts your home on the market as all estate agents advertise in the same place (ie the portals).

If this was the case, why do agents fees vary so? why do they claim they can sell your home faster, smarter and for a better price than their competitors?

If estate agents advertise in the same place, then all estate agents get the same result?

If we were all fishing from the samel pool of buyers. Waiting for one of them to get “hooked” on our listing. Surely buyer demand would be for us to all charge the lowest fee possible.  Therefore, no agent would be better than another at selling. There would be no skill involved, no strategy. It would all be down to gaining listings of properties and getting the listing price right.

Sadly, this is why some agents are focused (and rewarded via their commisson) on the amount of properties they get onto the market. As opposed to being rewarded for the amount of homes they sell.

Agents have become quite reliant on Rightmove and the like.  Properties that are listed straight onto the portals are only showing to the buyers who are registered with those portals.  These buyers are looking at every property listed that day, regardless of which agent shared it.  With the lack of houses coming onto the market currently, when a good, correctly priced house that meets their needs is listed, they will call in for a viewing. As will everyone else that sees that house go online.

There are lots of potential buyers that are waiting for a house like yours to be listed. All you have to do is select an agent that will make your house look at good as possible online. Then all being well you’ll get lots of viewings. Followed by a flood of offers and you’ll sell you house for well in excess of the asking price, right?

Wrong!

Buyers now browsers

The potential reach of the portals is huge, the trouble is they cast their net wide and pull everything in. Signed up for portal alerts are not just good to go buyers. By good to go we mean one’s that have all of their finances in place. Who have sold their own home or have no property to sell.  The portals bring those that are not yet “good to go” The people who have a property that is on the market but not yet under offer. People who want to find somewhere before they put their property on the market. The people who like to see what’s on the market locally to get an idea of what their property is worth.  The day dreamers, and of course the nosey neighbours.

The proportion of people that are able to put in an offer may be small compared to everyone that is signed up to the alert. Buyers that are ready to offer are there and they will snap up any suitable house that comes along as quickly as they can.  An agent that markets properties through portals alone would argue if the buyers are there, why do I need to do anything else?

This is true, but some buyers have moved on…

Savvy, buyers that are snapping up property

Rightmove and co have been around for 15+ years in mainstream estate agency. Whilst it’s sounds like it’s still young, think how attitudes and technology have moved on in that time. Even if you only consider that the introduction of the smart phone, apps  and social media.

Buyers are no longer all lurking in one place. Waiting for a portal alert to notify them of something new that’s come onto the market.  They have moved on.  They want to see property before it hits the portals and has fierce competition, particularly in today’s busy market place. These buyers are not waiting, they are finding new ways to find properties ahead of the competition.  They have everything in place to ensure that when their dream home comes onto the market that they are in the ideal position to make a genuine offer. And, if that offer is accepted, that they are able to proceed with the purchase.

Busy people

Whilst these buyers are proactive, motivated and want to buy. They are also busy people.  They don’t want to be ringing agents asking what properties the have coming up. Or viewing properties that don’t match their criteria, because the agent strongly recommended they took a look.

These buyers want solutions. The solution being a suitable property that matches their budget and requirements, delivered to their phone/device before it is shown to other competitive buyers that are still waiting for a property alert to go off.  These buyers are wanting to buy homes before they go online to the portals.

Innovative Estate Agents

In recent years, estate agent suppliers and technology firms have been developing technology to streamline the housing industry and make the role of a agent more proactive. Giving them additional platforms to find buyers and engage with them. The “PropTech” industry has sped up with the arrival of Covid-19 and the need to limit viewings and/or conduct them remotely.

Early adopters of the wealth of technology that is out there currently, have seen massive changes in the way they sell houses.  One of the biggest changes is the speed in which they can reach serious buyers.  Many agents are now reporting that they are selling properties before they are listed online.  Some agents are ditching the portals all together.

Innovation and technology are making some huge changes to the property industry currently.  We think it’s a very exciting time.  Which can only raise standards, and enable us to give a better service to their clients. There maybe some agents that say it’ll never change. All buyers will remain with the portals and the new technology is a fad or gimmick.  But then, there were many agents, not so long ago that said the property portals would never take off either!

Harrisons

At Harrisons Homes we sell the majority of our properties “behind the scenes”. Before they are listed on the property portals.  We do this via our Heads Up Property Alerts service and via our social media networks. We know that not all buyers are tech savvy. But we also know that motivated buyers will want to know what is new to the market. So we ensure we keep a personal touch for those that would prefer a phone call.

If you would like to know more about how Harrisons can sell your home, please call our team today on 01795 474848.

Let us tell you.  Here are our top ten reasons why we think you should use Harrisons Homes estate agents

1. Recommendation

Our number one source of business comes from personal recommendation.  Every agent across the land knows the value of personal recommendation.  Being trusted to handle one of the biggest financial transaction anyone is likely to make. A transaction that is often charged with emotion and stress. Is a very humbling experience.  To know that people value the service we have delivered enough to personally recommend our services, is something we are very proud of.  Check out our reviews to see what people say about us.

2. Award winning

In 2021 alone we have been awarded no less than five industry awards and we have been shortlisted for another.  The categories for these awards are for customer service, our results, our charity work and the work we do within the community.  We been awarded in 2021:

• Agents Giving – Best Fundraising Campaign
• ESTAS – Best Estate Agent – Gold Winner
• ESTAS – Best in County (Kent) 
• Excellent – Sales – Best Estate Agency Guide
• Real Estate Agency of the Year (Swale) – Southern Enterprise Awards 2021

And we have also been shortlisted for Community Champion of the Year – The Negotiator Awards

3. Results

Our results speak for themselves.  We don’t need charts showing what percentage of the market share we have. Or to tell you how many houses we have sold in your postcode over the past year.  We will tell you that it takes us an average of 16 days to agree an offer and sell your home (subject to contract).  We are currently achieving over 102% of the original asking price on sales.  Plus, we have a fall-through rate of just 4% compared to the current national average of 33%.

4. No lengthy contracts

We believe properties can sell within four weeks of coming onto the market.  We are so confident, we wont tie you into lengthy contract periods. If we are confident we can do what we say, why would we need to tie anyone into long term contracts.

5. Sales Progression

Once a sale has been agreed, we deal with the progression of your sale in house by a dedicated and experienced Sales Progressor.  You wont be palmed off with a progression team based it a remote location. Nor will you be dealing with a third party, who has had your sale outsourced to from your agent.  You will have one point of contact, in-house that you can speak to directly if you have and concerns or questions.

6. Security

We recommend reservation agreements on all of our agreed sales, giving both the buyer and the seller peace of mind that their sale is secure.

7. Community

Harrisons are proud to be part of, and support the community in which we live and serve in anyway we can. Whether it being donating laptops to local schools.  Fundraising for local charities (£14K raised to date).  Donating laptops to schools or sponsoring local events.  We try to give back as much as we can, it’s an important part of our business.

8. Innovative

Harrisons are constantly looking for ways to improve our service and how we make sales.  We do not look to what our competitors are doing, we look at new technology and innovation there is available.  By adapting this to fit within our business and come up with innovative marketing techniques.  Such as our “Heads Up! Property Alerts” service, which markets and often sells properties before they hit the property portals and the open market.

9. Qualified Professionals

The fact that estate agents are able to set up in business and deal with what is, for most people, their largest financial transaction without regulation or qualification is something we are very much against.  All of our staff undergo training, along with continual professional development. Plus, Harrisons staff are required to gain industry qualifications.  Harrisons Homes are a member of NAEA Propertymark in the absence of an industry regulator.  This is an organisation that agents can join and adhere to their rules of conduct to ensure they meet the desired standards that members would like to see in a property industry professional. In addition we are the only agent in Swale to be members of the Federation of Independent Agents who are committed to raising the standards and reputation of the industry by pulling together a network of the best independent agents in the UK.

10. Feels like family

We are more than just colleagues, we are a very close team, it feels like family.  Harrisons is nurturing and supportive.  Commission is earned on the team’s achievements rather than the individual’s.  We work together on, helping each other to get the best results for our clients.  Many visitors say, when they walk into our office, that it feels friendly and welcoming.  This is part of the reason why so many people recommend us to their friends and family.

Now you have our top ten reasons Why Use Harrisons Homes estate agent, why not give us a call to get you moving on with the next chapter of your lives 01795 474848

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.