Frequently Asked Questions - UK
Is there really a difference between what buying agents and estate agents do? Most definitely. An estate agent is trying to sell a property in a small local area defined by where their office is and their job is to obtain the highest price for the seller.
A buying agent, on the other hand, sources property across a whole region and this gives a real advantage to the property buyer, especially if they are not absolutely certain where they want to be, as we are able to compare and contrast any number of locations and our balanced and impartial advice helps pinpoint the best location for each client.
So are you in competition with estate agents?
Absolutely not. In fact, estate agents love working with buying agents as they know that all clients of The Property Finders will be serious, well-qualified purchasers with clearly defined criteria. And because of this many estate will contact The Property Finders with advance notice of properties coming up for sale so our clients often get to see a property before the general public even get to hear about it.
How to you source property?
We may use estate agents whom we know well and trust as well as our extensive network of contacts in the property sector. But another big advantage in using a property search specialist like The Property Finders is that we make every effort to track down properties that are not openly for sale and discretely approach the owners or we may be contacted by a seller directly.
But isn’t using a buying agent is going to cost me more?
Even when we have sourced the property through an estate agent it is very rare that we do not save our clients many times over the value of our fee. We make it our business to find out why the property is for sale, what the background story is and we cut through all the estate agent gloss. Plus we are very experienced negotiators and we are quietly confident that we will always be able to negotiate a better price than our client would have achieved on their own.
What is the first step?
If at all possible we like to discuss the brief during an initial meeting but if that can’t be arranged an in-depth phone conversation will suffice. We cover all the issues that are important to you, define the area to be searched, the timeframe and agree the criteria.
When do I get to see properties?
We can never say how long a search will take but what you can be sure of is that all potential properties will be viewed and assessed by us in advance. You will receive a written report with images of every property we recommend for shortlisting and you can then view at a time convenient to you, knowing that no time will be wasted on unsuitable properties.
Do you source rental properties?
In addition to locating properties for purchase on behalf of buyers, The Property Finders in the UK also offers the full range of corporate and private relocation services to companies and individuals moving to work in London and South East England.
If you have a specific question about buying property in the UK that we haven’t covered here please fill in the form and we’ll get back to you.
If you have a specific question about property in the UK that we haven’t covered here please fill in the form and we’ll get back to you.
