We’re sometimes asked
“why should I use a high street estate agent?”
Given that it’s almost impossible for consumers to watch TV nowadays without seeing a commercial from an online property company claiming that they can sell your house and save you thousands of pounds.
Well the first thing we would say is that all High Street Estate Agents in our town are also online business and a great many enquiries are being generated from the Myrings website and the two property portals, Rightmove and OnTheMarket.
The second thing worth noting is how savvy vendors and buyers in Harrogate are, they understand selling their house at the best price to the best qualified buyer is critical, and that getting the deal over the line with the of minimum stress is extremely important.
One of the key reasons however why we are entrusted with the duty/privilege of selling our clients property, and that is very seldom mentioned, is that most vendors want us to have “some skin in the game”
Let’s call this – invisible insurance
The majority of our clients buy their cars from a main dealer or from a local trusted garage. They know that the likelihood of a reputable dealer/garage in the town will sell a bad vehicle is very low, since they are vulnerable to reputation risk/legal redress and rely of the referrals of satisfied customers for new business.
It’s exactly the same for Myrings where more than 80% of our new instructions in Sales (& Lettings) come from friends, satisfied former clients and from those professional associates & local tradesmen we work with and who know us well.
Clearly there is a lot more to the continuing success of high street agencies than this and despite the constant media predictions to the contrary, high street Estate Agents are not disappearing. Consumers are still more comfortable in the physical realm for purchases such as clothing and food where the look and feel of a product is just as important as its price. This is why home sellers/buyers like talking with us and then go on to view those properties of interest. Key to any purchasing decision is the look and feel of a possible new home.
Most predictions made about a significant online, digital disruption of the property marketplace are incorrect, simply because they do not take into account the human dimension of buying a new home and the need for a real ownership of all parties. Remoteness and anonymity doesn’t work well on transactions which are to most, life changing.
It’s important to understand that the online agents presence in all its diverse and hybrid forms (Pay to List/call centre etc) accounts for just 3.6 % of all UK house sales and that this % is falling despite the millions of pounds being spent on TV advertising.
At long last, this February, the ASA (formally the Office of Fair Trading) struck down one of the more outrageous TV ads which quoted a £495 listing fee but failed to advise that this was incumbent on sellers using the agent’s own conveyancing and mortgage services and if they did not they would have to pay extra. It is of course critical to any successful house sale that the searches /surveys/financial arrangements etc are all in good order and delivered on time.
In all modesty we would say that’s exactly what Myrings deliver. Our clients know and trust us, know our Sales & Lettings teams and the local Surveyors/Solicitors & Financial Service providers, builders & tradesmen that we have worked with over so many years.
If you wish to discuss the above or are interested in the Property market in Harrogate then please come along and see us and enjoy a free no obligation chat about the services we provide.
