Buyers Agent and Home Buying Services For You: The Home Buyer
When it comes to buying many people think that estate agents are working for them along with the house seller. In a survey nearly half of respondents believe this. But it is not the case.
An estate agent enters into a contract with a house seller to sell their property for the best price possible. Because of this they work solely for the house seller in marketing the property in the best way to attract potential buyers and do their best to get the highest price from tgose buyers for their client.
So who looks after the buyer? The short answer is no-one. In the UK it has been accepted that house buyers spend their time trying to find the right property, evaluating if that property is right for them, then negotiating a price and buying the property on their own. Yet that purchase is most probably going to be one of the biggest financial transactions that they ever make. But there is another optioin. Using a Buyers Agent.
So Why Let Me Help You Find A New Home
So, as a Buying Agent, what is my main aim? Getting you the best property at the right price. Simple as that. Two houses might sit on the same street, but they can offer totally different value. It is my job to dig into the details: the seller’s situation, market trends, and anything that might not be obvious when reading through the property listing and when looking at the glossy marketing photos.
There are many things that can influence the price that you might want to offer for a property, and I will help you look at these so you can make that informed decision. It is important to remember that the Estate Agent that is selling a property works solely for the house seller. They have a contract with the vendor to sell their property for the best price possible and that is what they should always be trying to do.
Having a Buyers Agent working for you means that you have someone that has your best interests at heart when looking for a property, deciding if that property is right for you and then getting that property at the best price for you, the Buyer.
I offer a number of services aimed at home buyers which includes finding a property that seems to fit your requirement and then to check to make sure that the property is definitely right for you now, and into the future.
The Perfect Property Might Not Be On The Property Portals
I offer a different service that is flexible, that can help you to find the property you are looking for but does not have to cost you the same fees as a traditional Buying Agent.
I like looking for properties. I like doing the research and going out and looking for the house that may be someone’s new dream home. I do this for clients in a number of ways.
What many people don’t realise is that some of the best properties are not listed on traditional property portals. At Keller Williams we have a network of 75 agents in Essex alone and over 350 throughout the UK. This allows me to offer you access to off-market properties that might be perfect for your needs with each agent having local knowledge of what properties are considering coming on the market at any one time. A large percentage of properties are sold each year without even going on to the property portals and this is a great way to find you a property that you will not find on Rightmove or Zoopla.
The other main method I use is to go out and find you that property. By using software that can look at all properties in the UK, I can target areas or individual properties that would suit your needs. Once this is done, depending on where the area is, I will contact the homeowners either through the post or at the door and see if I can interest them in letting a potential purchaser view their property. This method can give you a great opportunity to be the only person looking at a property with the benefit this can give.
Full Buyers Agent Service
This service starts with a free consultation to explore your requirements. During this process we look at the area you are looking to move to, the type of property you are looking for, any import ‘must haves’, the timeline you are considering and the budget for the purchase.
At this point I will advise on the best ways to be ‘property purchase ready’ which includes speaking to a mortgage broker to be clear on the finances involved in the purchase and looking at other ways of making sure you are in the strongest position once you have found your ideal property.
Working with the clear brief from the consultation, I will start my search for your property, liaising with local estate agents and also using contacts, local knowledge and other techniques which means we can consider both on market properties and also properties that you will not find on the property portals as they are either just coming to the market or are being sold in a more private manner.
Once any properties have been reviewed for suitability, I will view these properties and report to you with a shortlist of the properties that best match your requirements. I can then arrange for you to view these properties and can attend if required for you to decide if any of the properties are of interest to you. At this point I will carry out the Property Analysis Report on your property of choice to give you an even better understanding of the property and the surrounding area.
If you decide that the property is for you we can discuss a negotiation strategy and once a price is agreed, help with instructing Solicitors and managing the sale through to completion.
This service takes away much of the stress and time involved in finding a property and means that you have someone acting on your behalf when purchasing a property. Remember, the Estate Agent selling a property is acting for the best interests of their client, the seller.
The cost of this service is £3,000 paid on completion of the purchase. A retainer is required after the consultation before I start any search of £700 which deducted from the fee if you purchase through the service.
Off Market Search
Have you been looking for a property but do not seem to be able to find anything suitable through Estate Agents and the property portals? Have you sold your property and are beginning to feel under pressure to find a property to move to. This is when a more proactive approach is needed, and I am the person to help you.
First we carry out a free consultation to build a clear brief of what you are looking for and make sure you are ‘property purchase ready’ which includes speaking to a mortgage broker to be clear on the finances involved in the purchase and looking at other ways of making sure you are in the strongest position once you have found your ideal property.
Once this has been carried out I will use local contacts and knowledge, along with putting leather to the ground, to go out and find properties that are currently not being marketed that may be considering selling. This will give you a unique opportunity to see these properties ahead of other potential buyers and opens your search to properties you would not have known about.
This service is costs just £165.00 and includes one Potential Property Analysise Report. I also ask that you agree to view properties that I find that match your buying criteria.
Once I have found you a property that you would like to buy you are free to just negotiate a price and look after the transaction from there or we can discuss a cost for me to negotiate the price for you and help you though the buying process.
Once You Have Found Your Property
Finding a property is just part of the process of buying. Once you have found a property that you are interested in many would say that it becomes even more important to have someone acting with your best interest in mind. It is easy to get carried away with how much you like a property being encouraged by the estate agent to put in an offer as soon as possible and wanrted to get a sale agreed but this is when a person who is not emotionally involved and is unbiased can really help.
I offer a number of services linked to the purchase such a Potential Property Analysis Report, Planning Potential Reports and a service that investigates the road and area around the property you are considering buying. By using these services you get that unbiased view and further information that will help you decide on how you want to proceed when moving forward to making an offer and agreeing to purchase a property.
Potential Property Analysis Report
Have you seen a property that you are interested in and are considering making an offer on? Have you made an offer and want to find out more about the property and area?
Property listing details and other information is put together by the Estate Agent that is working for the person selling the property. The Property Potential Analysis Report is unbiased and includes:
- An analysis of local properties that have sold recently and the sales history of the property you are considering
- An assessment of the local area and property. This covers school options and ratings, previous sales, local amenities, connectivity, crime rate etc.
- A Property Potential Brief that looks at any planning history for the property, planning constraints that may affect the property and Permitted Development options.
This will give you an unbiased look at the local area, property market and potential of the property that you are considering and will allow you to make an objective decision about how to move forward which is likely to be one of the biggest purchases you are likely to make.
The cost of this service is just £165.00 and is extremely good value considering how big a financial purchase a property is.
Local Area Satisfaction Survey
This service can be part of either the Potential Property Analysis or the Property Detective Report. It can also be offered as a stand-alone service.
With this service I will knock on the doors of an agreed number of properties around the home you are considering buying. I will introduce myself as a Buying Agent carrying out a survey on how satisfied they are with the local area. I will then have a set number of questions that I will endeavour to have answered which are based on what the homeowner thinks of the area.
This gives information in several ways. It will give me an idea of the area on the presentation of the properties and the friendliness of those living there. The answers I receive from the question will also help to paint an opinion of the area not from an Estate Agent selling a property, or a person selling their home, but from residents living locally
The survey will be anonymous but I will produce a full report of my finding which will be unbiased and from someone that is acting on your behalf. You can then use this information along with any other of my services, to form an opinion of if it is the right area for you.
The cost of this service depends on the size of the survey but will cost between £40-£90.
Planning Potential Report
This report is for people that are looking at a property and want to see the different options that may be available through Permitted Development and gaining planning approval. It can be used to look at one potential project, to look at different options and also to check any planning approval that may have been granted on a property.
The report investigates any planning history on the property, studying any approvals and rejections for useful information. The neighbouring properties are looked at along with the planning history with the local area on similar properties.
As with the Planning Brief, planning constraints are checked along with looking at local planning policies and the Local Plan if published to get a full idea of the local planning system.
With this information I will lay out the different projects that ma be considered utilising any Permitted Development Rights the property has so as too avoid lengthy planning applications, and also projects that will require planning application approval with an idea of the likelihood of success with these. This can then be used to look at any particular ideas that you may have for the property.
If a property is being considered which has an approved planning application I can also look at this to see what conditions were made with the approval, how viable these conditions are and the length of time available before the should be satisfied. There are times when people have a planning approval, but it is close to running out or the conditions make a project unworkable. This is something that should be considered and checked.
I am well trained and experienced at looking at the opportunities available through the UK planning system but am not fully qualified and do not work for any planning authorities. The information in the reports are to give a detailed opinion on what can be considered and what is likely not to succeed but are for information purposes and come with no guarantees.
I would always recommend going to a fully qualified planning professional if you require any more than information on what is possible and can refer you to architects and planning consultations as part of my service.
The Planning Potential Report costs £185.00 and is also a good report to have on a property that you are selling. This allows you to give a copy to any potential to a buyer which may help with marketing your property and helping it to stand out as a Property With Potential.
Property Buying Detective
This is a fully individual and bespoke service that is offered to those that want to really check out the claims made about a property and whether it is the right property for them.
As we know, the property listings you read on the property portals are written by an Estate Agent that is trying to show the property in its best light and to make it as attractive to potential buyers as possible. They work solely for the person selling the property and rightly so, as that is the person that is paying their fee.
This can mean that some information, although true, may not seem quite as it does with a property. An example could be the property advertised as a 10-minute walk from the station. Does it really take 10 minutes. Does that include a walk through an unlit alleyway that you would never contemplate after dark or is it downhill all the way on the way to work, and a mountain path that feels like it takes an hour when coming home after a hard day at work!!
A the Property Buying Detective I will look at all the different areas that may not make a property as appealing at first glance to you. We will then work out a plan of action for putting your mind at rest about these different potential issues.
Along with the other services already mentioned I am happy to go out and walk around the area, speak to local people, do the walk to the station or high street. I will visit your property at agreed times to confirm that it how you expect it to be without any nasty surprises.
I am not able to be everywhere and my opinion on something is still subjective, but you will know that you are getting an opinion from someone who is unbiased about your property move and working on your behalf and for no-one else. This service is not in any way designed to put you off of buying a property but more to put your mind at rest that it is the right property for you.
The price of this service will depend on exactly what services and time you require but all costs will be agreed before work is undertaken. A local property Detective walkaround of the area is likely to cost between £50 and £80.
Planning Potential Brief
This report gives basic planning details on a property that you may be interested in buying so that you can consider if there is any potential in the property. This information includes details of any planning history found on the property and any planning constraints that may affect the property such as flood zones etc.
There will also be information on Permitted Development Rights available for the property and how these can help you to carry out a number of projects on a property without going through the lengthy planning process.
This is also a good report to have on a property that you are selling as it shows any potential to a buyer which may help with marketing your property.
The information in these reports are to give an understanding of the potential of a property and are not a guarantee to getting planning permission etc, but are very useful for showing what may be possible. This Report costs £35.00.
However Much Help You Need – I Am Here To Help
Whever you are short of time and would see the great benefits of having someone go out and find that perfect property, you want to check to make sure your plans on renovations are likely to get through planning or are not certain about an area and would like someone to investigate, I am here to help with an unbiased approach while being on your side. Give me a call and lets have a chat about how I may be able to help on 07973 863820 or email tonycarter@kwuk.com .
