RAH Magazine November 2018
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“You need to build a rapport with the<br />
applicant, find out what is driving their<br />
move and what they need from a property”<br />
11.00<br />
I need some photographs of the<br />
outside of a house in Newnham.<br />
We already have the internal<br />
shots but the weather was dull<br />
yesterday and I really need to<br />
get the right photo with the<br />
sun out. A good photo makes all<br />
the difference, especially online.<br />
As an added bonus, there are no<br />
cars parked in front of the house spoiling the shot,<br />
something of a rarity for houses on most residential<br />
roads in Cambridge.<br />
11:30<br />
Back to the office and a quick<br />
coffee. I put together the<br />
agency agreement for the new<br />
apartment and email it to the<br />
client as he wants to get onto<br />
the market immediately. Time<br />
to call the solicitor who is acting<br />
for a buyer of a Victorian two-bed.<br />
We agreed the sale two weeks ago<br />
but there is a hold up in the paperwork.<br />
Communication is king in this job. Most sales involve a<br />
chain of people and a problem at any point in the chain<br />
can affect the sale. Making sure that milestones are<br />
reached at the right time is vital. With the rise of online<br />
estate agents and solicitors, talking to a real person<br />
about eliminating a blockage in the sales pipeline is<br />
becoming more and more difficult. A big part of my job<br />
is to talk to (and badger) the different estate agents,<br />
solicitors, surveyors and other professionals.<br />
12.15<br />
I upload the photos from the<br />
Newnham house onto our backend<br />
system. That was the<br />
only thing we needed before<br />
launching on Rightmove and<br />
OntheMarket. Time to finish<br />
a set of sales particulars for a<br />
property coming on this week.<br />
We have all the photos and the room<br />
measurements so I just need to add the descriptive bits<br />
that help to paint a picture for the buyers. Once I am<br />
happy, I send the draft to the vendor for approval.<br />
13.00<br />
Lunchtime – across the road for<br />
sandwich and then back to the<br />
office to catch up with some<br />
of the other members of the<br />
team.<br />
14:30<br />
Out again. I’ve got a pretty<br />
full afternoon of viewings<br />
ahead of me. It’s when you<br />
are accompanying applicants<br />
on viewings that your people<br />
skills really come into their own.<br />
You need to build a rapport with the<br />
applicant, find out what is driving their move and what<br />
they need from a property. Even if the property seemed<br />
perfect on paper, they may hate something about it<br />
when the go to view. Finding out what they like and<br />
what they don’t means you can show them something<br />
that ticks more boxes next time.<br />
16:30<br />
I finally get hold of an potential<br />
buyer who viewed a house for<br />
the second time. They seemed<br />
keen after the first viewing<br />
and wanted to go round with a<br />
builder before making a decision.<br />
The good news is that they<br />
put forward an offer and are cash<br />
buyers. The bad news is that the offer is<br />
£10,000 below the asking price. I speak to the vendor.<br />
We have eight viewings booked in at the weekend and<br />
new enquiries coming in, so I advise not to accept a<br />
low offer at this stage. I go back to the applicant to tell<br />
them what is happening. They are going to think about<br />
increasing their offer over the weekend.<br />
17:15<br />
I make some calls to applicants<br />
who should be interested in the<br />
new apartment overlooking the<br />
river. Many people think that<br />
estate agency is money for<br />
old rope, just visit the house,<br />
take a few measurements and<br />
photographs, upload the details<br />
to the portals and wait for the<br />
viewings and offers to flood in. The truth is that the<br />
best agents are the ones who take the time to get to<br />
know the applicants, find out what they really want and<br />
talk to them about new properties. For the applicants<br />
registered with us, nothings beats being able to speak<br />
to someone who knows the property inside out. And<br />
it’s great to get details of new properties before they go<br />
out to the wider world.<br />
18.00<br />
It’s been a pretty full-on day. The new<br />
instruction was the highlight but<br />
I am also pretty convinced that<br />
the couple that put in the low<br />
offer really want the house and<br />
will increase. Like always, you<br />
want everything to run smoothly<br />
but getting a sale to completion<br />
is rarely without some drama. It<br />
certainly keeps things interesting.<br />
13
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