Anyone at the NAEA conference will have seen Miles Shipside talk about how a seller would dish out a notional £100 if they had a choice in how their agent would spend it.
The results made depressing reading for agents.
The public would spend just £6 on an accurate valuation, £24 on sales details, £16 on accompanied viewings and £25 on promoting the property on Rightmove.
The bit that will make you reach for the pills is £13 on offer negotiation and only £8 on sales progression.
Given that most agents know that £80 out of the £100 should actually be spent on those last two, you can see both how little has been done to educate the public on what we actually do and how easy it is for lower service models to cash in on what the public thinks they WANT – not what they NEED.
To that end I hope that the newly created ‘Propertymark’, to be used by ARLA/NAEA agents, will make that a priority.
I would canvass for anyone seeing the mark to be able to at least see what the profession actually does, from real people.
Rather than telling us how the mark guarantees quality, let’s start to get some real feedback from real people who’ve dealt with agents, in all areas, and post their experiences on the site.
That would allow the public wanting to know more to read actual case studies and understand how the process actually works.
I’m staggered how, for example, the public still thinks a house is sold when it’s simply put under offer – how can this possibly still be common currency? However, it explains why sellers would spend misguidedly as above.
More case studies would help hugely and agents must commit to soliciting them.
Quotes from people on how the agent made the difference, what they actually did to get the deal through, how knowledge meant they asked the right questions and smoothed the path – this will differentiate Propertymark and make it THE go to place for the public if promoted correctly.
I’ve talked before about the need for a level playing field, and a plethora of variable quality rating sites doesn’t help the consumer – and remember consumers are buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords.
Needs and wants have always been easy to muddle, so let’s see if this new mark can help distinguish – to everyone’s advantage.
This new “mark” like those before will end being something you are peeling off your office window in a few years time. We as a group of hardworking, honest and quality estate agents do not have the financial muscle to educate the public as to what we really do compared to others. Instead the public are fed what they already believe is the truth by the media in general and certain TV adverts.
Beyond educating one person at a time who is sat before me, or posting positive reviews on social media, i dont see how it is possible to get widespread coverage promoting the benefits of sales progression for example, unless for example Mr Shipside is prepared to let us take out an advertising campaign on Rightmove stating such facts……..nope i didnt think so either.
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Having just looked at the NAEA | Propertymark website apparently this sticker costs £230 per year, however it doesnt state if you get a new sticker every year. It claims that there has been a “terrestrial” TV campaign (has anyone seen this?) and lots of member benefits, which upon clicking the links just bangs on about training etc…which is fine….but nothing further about public exposure. So to some up, we are supposed to pony up £230 for nowt.
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But they are going to spend loads on marketing to educate the public how full service agents can be far more effective in getting the best ‘walk away’ result ….as opposed to online listers. They are going to put their full weight behind this to counter the misleading propaganda from the other side.
Oh wait…they can’t do that cos the other side are also members of their organisation. Dang…..
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Is this £230 in addition to the normal membership cost?
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As a buying Agent, not connected to an Estate agent so only involved with buying houses, most of my work is;
1. Managing my clients expectations and
2. Managing the deal and getting it through the system after an offer has been accepted through to Exchange and Completion.
This is an important part, and why many top end Estate Agents like Buying Agents, as they do not have to hold the hand of the purchaser but only the hand of their client the vendor.
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What if the public don’t want educating about the differences? If I go into a local garage to have my car serviced, I may not be interested in how they are going to fit a new clutch, better than the garage down the road. What and How agents do their job isn’t as important as Why. That’s down to the individual.
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Its all rubbish! Do a good job and word of mouth, recommendations and referrals bring in far more business than anything the NAEA offers. And as implied above, what the NAEA is offering to do for £230 should be included in our annual fees, after all it is supposed to be promoting our best interests …… isn’t it?
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So it isn’t included…..that’ well just ….unbelieveable!!
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Seriously is that the best they can do. Propertymark a Tufty Club badge in the window which somehow make Joe Public understand all the skillsets involved Meanwhile Bricks are adverising on prime time TV that selling a property is all so simple and its all about cheap fees
By the looks of the last few weeks it seems to have been working You sometimes wonder whio is going to have therir faces in acake
i wonderif anyone in th epublic knowany of the team leaders at the RICS or NAEA !!!
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