Finding a Buyer
Once the house is on the market your agent should start earning his fee by persuading as many people as possible to view it. He will try to achieve this in a number of ways:
By Telephone
The agent should have a number of 'hot applicants' on his register. These are people who are prepared to view without seeing the details and are in a position to proceed with a purchase immediately. (First-time buyers or own property sold.) The agent should telephone these people to obtain viewings before the details are sent out. These are the hottest applicants of all. One of them may wish to buy your property immediately.
Via the lnternet
Your property should immediately be added to your agent's website and uploaded to the major property portals.
By Post
During the preceding two to three months the agent's general marketing campaign should have attracted a number of applicants. Within the first few days, the agent should send a set of particulars to every applicant that he has in the price range. Sending details alone is not enough. The effective agent will also telephone each of these applicants a few days after they receive the details to obtain feedback and to attempt to persuade them to view.
Circulating Details to other Branches
If you have instructed a multi-office agent, details of your property should be circulated to all the neighbouring branches. This will not always happen automatically. Inter-branch rivalry often means that neighbouring branches end up competing with each other rather than co-operating. You must ensure that such inter-branch rivalries do not affect your chances of obtaining a sale.
You can check this by doing two things. Firstly, ask what commission sharing arrangements are in place in the event of your property being sold by another branch (do they seem fair to you?). Secondly, try phoning the neighbouring branches posing as an applicant looking for a property in the same price range as yours and see whether your property is mentioned.
Erection of a 'For Sale ' Board
A 'For Sale' board is an important marketing tool. Something like a quarter of all sales are achieved due to a board. If you really want to sell your house for the best possible price in the shortest possible time, then you need a 'For Sale' board. The board may encourage the odd unwanted visitor to knock on the door without an appointment, but such people can easily be turned away and this small intrusion is a price well worth paying for the extra interest that a board will generate.
