Jan 2021: London Housing Market
Who & What are Buying Agents?
Who & what are buying agents (also known as property consultants, property finders or relo agents)?
A useful guide from the Home Owners Alliance: What are buying agents?
I would add that a good buying agent will also ensure there is smooth execution (around 30% of all transactions fail to complete).
Particularly towards the end of 2022 when mortgages started to change unexpectedly, the number transactions failing to complete increased.
It is not only buyers or sellers changing their minds but we see a surprinsingly high number of transactions failing because of the solicitors or surveyors.
Having a good buying agent with a good reputation will certainly keep the dialogue open and make sure that everybody involved does what
they are meant to do.
A good buying agent will also ensure that if you are going to part with (what to most people is) a ‘big sum of money’ this is a good investment.
The number need to make sense. A reputable buying agent will tell their client if something is good value (or not). And if it can be negotiated down (or not).
And yes, a fee is involved (nobody works for free!) but as mentioned there a buying agent may negotiate a much better price than you would have been able to have got yourself, and save you time and stress.
2023 is going to be a buyers' market for most postcodes, make that advantage go further with the right advice.
Ps: Address is not listed on that list (it reads that there are 1000 buying agents in the UK) but we have been around for many years and mostly work through word of mouth - because a satisfied client is the best publicity. Every search Address carries out is undertaken as it we were to buy the property for ourselves.