Q. Why do you want us to show people through our home?
A. Firstly, it saves us a lot of money employing
salespeople, and we can pass this saving on to you. Secondly, you know your
property well, and the reasons why it appealed to you when you bought it.Most salespeople do not have that knowledge
or enthusiasm.
Q. What do I do if a Buyer wants to haggle with me?
A. We provide you with a guide to showing your property. It
is best to allow them to inspect your property, and answer any questions they
may have. Some Buyers will make quite low ‘starting’ offers. As the owner, you
may be offended and thus jeopardise the process. We are trained in that area
and it is definitely in your best interest to have us negotiate for you. Our
job is to get them to a price and terms that you are satisfied with, and this
can involve a lot of ‘to and fro’ to achieve.
Q. You don’t have an office in my area. How likely are you
to find a Buyer?
A.Our experience
with our traditional real estate office is that very few Buyers (less than 5%)
now visit an Agency to start their search for a new property. (Our experience
is also supported by Nielsen Online Research Property Report, 2008). Those
Buyers who do approach an Agent are often following up what they have already seen
on the net, or with a For Sale sign.
Q. What about Newspaper advertising?
A. Yes, Newspapers still have relevance, although this is in
decline. We are happy to arrange it for you if desired. The down side is the
huge cost and relatively small audience (for example, out of town buyers). Be
wary of Agents who want to charge full commission and also a Newspaper
marketing package. This is great for their profile – with you paying for it.
Q. Why would we list with Lowcom, instead of on a List Yourself type website?
A. One reason is that we are with you all the way in preparing marketing, advising of progress, qualifying enquiry, negotiating for you, contract preparation and monitoring progress through to completion, (much as you would expect through a traditional agency). The other reason is that private sale sites receive only a small fraction of the traffic that realestate.com.au receives. It is not unusual for a property to receive only one or two enquiries per year with those sites. This not only makes for a much slower sale, but also limits your chances of receiving fair market value.
