Having moved from selling to buying I thought it might be helpful to answer some of the question I am now often asked.
- The difference between Buying Agents and Estate Agents is that we are retained by our client, the buyer, to find them a house and act in their best interest to buy of the best possible terms.
- Our key objective is to find and secure a property that best matches our clients’ preferences.
- We aim to secure properties at the best available price, whereas of course, the estate or letting agents work in the best interests of the seller or landlord.
What are the benefits of using a buying agent?
- As an independent buying agent we aim to offer access to the entire market.
- We are in contact with agents on a daily basis, on our clients behalf, to gain early intelligence of properties they might have quietly available or are about to launch.
- We proactively search the market, to give our clients access to all properties that suit their requirements.
- Through our local networks we are able to gain access to ‘off market’ properties.
- We offer professional advice that is key in our clients securing the right property, at the right price.
- We carry out extensive due diligence on the property and provide impartial advice on pricing and the area.
- JMChase is made up of property experts in their region. This gives our clients credibility when offering on a property.
- Once an offer is accepted, we guide the purchase through to exchange and completion. Dealing with any problems which may arise and communicating with solicitors and other advisors.
- Following exchange we provide a completion service, inspecting the property on the day of the move and before completion
How are you able to reduce the asking price?
Being experts in our respective regions, we know the true value of a property based on comparable evidence and market intelligence. If we don’t think the property is priced correctly, we will negotiate on our clients behalf to ensure houses are bought at a fair market price!
Our clients come to us for a number of reasons – some live abroad and need a trusted agent to secure property on their behalf, some have been left disappointed when missing out on a purchase and others just don’t have the time to look for property and others just engage us to help with negotiations.
How do you gain access to the private market?
Over many years we have built up excellent personal relationships with our contacts which, combined with our reputation, means we often hear about properties long before they become available to the open market.
Furthermore, we all live in the areas we cover so it’s not unusual for sellers to approach us to see if we have a suitable client for their house or flat. Selling and letting agents also know that we represent the best buyers or tenants in the market so they will keep us informed of these opportunities.
Nearly 70% of the properties we bought for our clients during the last 12 months were purchased before they even appeared on the open market.
Conclusion
Like most of my colleagues I worked as a selling agent for many years. This is a huge benefit, as we understand what it is like to be on the other side of the fence and can adapt accordingly. The main aim is to help our clients buy the house of their dreams and that gives us all a lot of pleasure !
