by admin 
An experienced Estate Agent should come prepared when visiting your property to register it for sale. In fact, the Estate Agent should ask you 10 questions and many more to gather enough information about your property, and market it successfully to ensure a quick sale.
What do you think of the state of my property? Should I just spruce and clean or should I invest some money in a proper touch-up? Your estate agent’s expert opinion will help to decide whether you should just clean up, de-clutter and de-personalise your home or if you should invest some money to improve certain feature to get a better price.
What do you think about my neighbourhood? Can you give me a comparative sales analysis on similar properties sold close by? An experienced estate agent can check on past records and give you an idea of how similar properties fared in the past and spell out the minimum and maximum price of available property on the market. This information could help you price competitively to place on top of a long list of similar properties presently for sale. If your property has distinguishing features, such as a high finish or larger terrace or garage, discuss with your agent how best to focus on these points to improve your chances of selling.
What price should I sell at? Your estate agent should have expert knowledge of the market and his/her valuation should be considered seriously. Is it worth raising the price to be able to accept a reduced offer or would you get your asking if priced properly in the first place?
How long should it take to sell my property? An experienced estate agent is registering and seeing properties sold every day so it might be possible to estimate a time frame of how long it takes to sell. These are always estimations so think twice before making serious plans on your next move.
What taxes, if any, am I liable to pay once I sell my property? Your estate agent would need further information from you to determine this answer as there are many different rates of tax which could be due.
What other expenses will I incur when selling my property? There might be additional expenses besides taxes and agency fees so clarify with your estate agent about these.
How will you market my property? There are a number of ways to market a property and asking or insisting on different ways and media will help to sell your property faster. Check whether you want your property published on Social Media, some marketing is great but overexposure on sites like Facebook can be detrimental. A balance like in most things is always best.
How can I help you take better photos and video? When your estate agent visits your property he/she will inevitably take many photos or video. Ask whether they would like curtains open, lights switched on and items removed for better shots. You can also ask to see which photos will eventually be published online and ask to remove some you are not comfortable with. If you have valuable paintings or furniture pieces you can ask that these don’t show up on any websites.
Can we agree on viewing times and specific times to call me? Often, larger agencies will call you at different times of the day and although the agent means well, it can be very frustrating for you. Ask your estate agents to organise a first group viewing for his/her colleagues. This will go a long way to reduce individuals calling for specific information. If you are normally busy during the day, you can agree on specific times for calling and viewing.
What other details can I give you to help you sell my property? You might, for example, provide a floor plan of the property, a copy of your contract when purchased to check for any specific conditions that go with the sale like ground rents due. Any extra information you can provide will help the Estate Agent to close a sale once a buyer is found.
A good relationship with your Estate Agent will help both sides understand each other and will go a long way in making your selling experience less stressful.
