What Does an Estate Agent Do Anyway?

We’ve all heard those everyday conversations in the pub:

“Anyone can sell a house. How difficult can it be to point out a kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom? Estate agents, they don’t really do anything…”

So, here’s a question for you!

If selling property is so easy, why doesn’t every seller simply grab a piece of paper, scribble ‘for sale’ on it, add their phone number, stick it to their front door and sit back and wait for the hoards of interested buyers to arrive?

And here’s the answer. Because selling a home is a time-consuming process that requires a great deal of expertise. There's no one-step method of conducting a viewing and accepting an offer! In fact, that’s when the really hard work begins.

Estate agents are required to have many skills, ranging from marketing your home, through to negotiating sale prices, and liaising with solicitors. This is why estate agents like Satchells are still popular and show an excellent return on your investment when compared to online agents who boast of a similar service, but as you delve deeper, you learn that in reality, it is mostly not the case at all.

So, what does an estate agent actually do anyway?

At Satchells, we understand that we are working for you from the very minute we meet you. Your best interests are at the heart of everything we do:

Valuations and Marketing

The first stage in any home selling process is the valuation of your property.

All estate agents usually offer a valuation service for free before you enter into a contract with them, and we are no exception. We recommend that you take the time to acquire multiple valuations on your home before setting the asking price. This asking price should be compared with others in the local area, giving you a better understanding of the price buyers are willing to pay.

We then market your home across our website and our social media. Additionally, we will begin reaching out to prospective buyers on our database by telephoning them. We concentrate on ensuring your property reaches the broadest customer base during this first critical stage through our local offices and our genuine London office situated on Park Lane.

Conducting Viewings and Negotiations

The Satchells team know how to conduct effective viewings! We know how to allow our clients to view your home in their own time while highlighting all the essential features and pointing out some of the property's not-so-evident benefits.

For example, we’ll talk about the local area and offer our opinion on a property's potential rather than just pointing out the obvious!

But our job doesn’t end there. It is also after the viewing that our expertise really becomes apparent.

We know the difference between a good and a bad offer, and will effectively negotiate with clients to get both parties the best result.

Liaising with Buyers, Sellers, Surveyors and Solicitors

Property is rarely sold in the UK without some form of chain. These chains can often become long and complicated, requiring a great deal of communication for a smooth sale.

We take control of sales progression, contact with buyers, sellers, surveyors and solicitors, making the process as simple as possible for you and your family, enabling the sale to continue progressing promptly and stress-free.

Pre-Completion Tasks

Once a sale has been agreed, there are still many tasks which must be carried out – again that we take control of.

The most obvious of these is agreeing to a completion date. Particularly for sales that are part of a long chain, these can be tricky, but we always work hard to agree on a date that suits all parties.

At this point, there may also be some technical issues that arise from the surveys, and that’s where we really excel! With 100 years of experience, there’s nothing we don’t know about property or haven’t dealt with previously when it comes to issues that might otherwise hold up your sale or purchase.

We communicate with all parties and legal representatives to deal with these issues swiftly.

Finally, there's one more significant role that your estate agent should play.

“Being a Friend”

With decades of experience, we know that selling and buying houses can be a super stressful time.

Almost no sale is entirely straightforward, and there will always be bumps along the way. Unlike faceless online estate agents, we are on hand to help you through the whole process, answering your questions, queries or concerns and importantly being there for you in any way we can to make the process smooth and stress-free.

Attempting to navigate the process alone, or with little support from an online agent with no office or easy method of contact, can make for a very lonely, and somewhat confusing process.

We understand this, which is why our service is outstanding, always putting your needs first. Email admin@satchells.co.uk and let us show you our impeccable service.