Don’t listen to estate agents (except us)
This may sound bizarre for an estate agency advising you not to listen to estate agents, but there is a method to our madness (and we aren’t typical estate agents!)
We’ve all been there – three estate agents come around with their clipboards, their promises and their shiny suits. They knock on the walls, look into the corners of the rooms and then start telling you about how amazing they are.
But what are their intentions? Some agents will over-value your home just to get the instruction and plump up their window display. Others will promise you that they have a database of local buyers and trick you into signing a contract. Some, and these are the worst, are the main local agents and they will tell you a price very confidently (which is well under the “real” value) and then go on to sell it very quickly. Sellers beware.
At Mr and Mrs Clarke we have your back. We want to listen to what you want, your dreams and desires. We work collaboratively and transparently with you to get the price and the marketing strategy just right, so that when the keys are handed over to a buyer, you walk away with a warm fuzzy feeling.
The local agents didn’t listen to what we wanted. With the help of Mr and Mrs Clarke, we achieved £100k more than the local agent was going to advertise our house for. That is crazy.
Paul
Our team have sold, bought, invested and developed hundreds of properties – we have lots of experience in business and the business of selling homes. We also have a client centric approach that seems to be absent in a lot of estate agencies. We will never undersell your property.
Should I stay or should I go?
A major dilemma we often hear from sellers is when to sell. “Should we find a house to buy and then put ours up for sale?” “What if I sell and haven’t found a house to buy?” It’s a big issue and one that needs a lot of thought. We want to get our clients in the strongest position and create an environment where they get the highest price for their home and are in A1 position to buy their next home. There may be some tough discussions but we have a method that will achieve these two objectives.
Paul and Alex were mindful in how they would approach the sale and onward purchase. They have sold lots of properties over the years, and this time they said they wouldn’t get involved with a long chain. They realised that they would have to put their home on the market to trigger the next steps. Their mindset was that getting the best price was the most important thing, so they took their time to get their home ready for sale and at the same time started watching the market to see if something came up for sale.
We achieved a higher price by breaking the chain and renting. It also reduced the stress for us all. We will save thousands of pounds on our next purchase for being chain free buyers. We won at both ends thanks to the advice from our agent.
Alex
We were able to create the most amazing advertising campaign in a calm way. Several buyers then came along and tried to negotiate on the price and tried to force timescales on them. It was decided that these people weren’t right and it was better to stay on the market and be patient. Then a buyer came along who was prepared to pay what Paul & Alex wanted but they had a long chain below and some pressure about time. We worked with everyone to get a better than expected price and so they were able to move into a rented house and take time to breathe. They were thrilled.
Fix up. Look sharp.
Paul & Alex had completely renovated their 16th century cottage over a few years and it graced the pages of magazines. But when they decided they wanted to sell it they realised that it needed a little bit of smartening up. They decided that investing in sprucing up the garden, giving everything a lick of paint, adding some fresh soft furnishings and giving the place a mega spring clean would be wise. Why? Because lots of buyers want to just move into a home and pop the kettle on – so spending some time and money on the property before you sell is worth it.
You have one chance to make a good first impression. Impress buyers by making your property look amazing and you will reap the rewards. We worked with Paul & Alex to make their home look like a showhome so buyers would fall in love when they saw it online. We also know that if a house is perfect then buyers can’t negotiate on price without looking silly.
We got the decorators in, decluttered, freshened everything up and Paul was in charge of cleaning – he scrubbed the house from the loft to the shed. Mr and Mrs Clarke then sent in an amazing photographer who captured the home beautifully and their copywriter described it like no other agent could ever have done.
Alex
It’s not just a one hit wonder – you need to make sure the house is looking like the pages of Living Etc for every viewing, every surveyors visit and for when the buyers do a drive-by. This is a marathon not a sprint! Our team will pop on a playlist for viewings, light some scented candles and get some fresh coffee brewing. We really recommend fresh bed linen, clean bathrooms, sparkling windows, plumped cushions and kids lego in the box.
Get the paperwork ready.
As well as the aesthetics, you need to get the serious stuff in order. Before you begin to market your home, find a good solicitor. If you don’t have one already, use a recommendation from a friend or you can ask us to suggest some trusted names. It’s important to bear in mind that you get what you pay for and a responsive, proactive solicitor can be the difference between a smooth and successful transaction or potentially losing a frustrated buyer.
Get your paperwork in order, ready for those first conversations with your solicitor. Fill out your seller information forms for them. Do you have all of the necessary documents and permissions for any work that you’ve undertaken to your home? You need to have your paperwork organised at the beginning of the selling process in order to prevent lengthy and detrimental delays further down the line.
Paul & Alex also decided to get a building survey carried out at the property. They instructed an independent surveyor to carry out the survey and they made it available to any person who was interested in offering. This was to show transparency and to flush out any issue that may come up later in the process.
We always thought it was odd that you make an offer on a house and then find out all about it. You can be several grand down when you find out that there is flying freehold or something! We wanted to have an open arms approach with buyers so they could make an informed decision and we wouldn’t have to go through the ugly process of renegotiating at the eleventh hour.
Alex
Don’t be a sheep.
Estate agents will tell you that they are the best at selling homes locally and that because they have the most boards up on your street that they are the best. They will tell you lots of things with lots of confidence and… then they will tell the buyers something completely different to get a sale! This ain’t how we roll at Mr and Mrs Clarke.
Standard estate agencies pass you around like a game of pass the parcel. You will never see the same person twice and you will be tearing you hair out when you want an update. At Mr and Mrs Clarke you will deal with the same great person from start to finish and they will be available 7 days a week to help you get the best deal. This is the way it works across the World and it is why estate agents are respected in the US, Australia and Europe. In the UK agents are underpaid and therefore don’t care about their clients. Mr and Mrs Clarke agents own their own business and don’t get paid unless they sell a house – they are driven to succeed and to build a great local reputation.
Behind the scenes, our agents are supported by an industry winning team. Our photographers grace the pages of interior design magazines regularly, our videographers have worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, our marketing and PR team are experienced in creating beautiful advertising that is seen by the right people.
We loved dealing with one person. We could Whatsapp them at any time and they treated us like VIPs. Nothing was too much trouble and it felt so different to being passed around like our previous house sales.
Alex
