Estate Agents in Bantry – Changing Criteria for Customers
The choice of estate agents in the Bantry area (or auctioneers, as we’re more commonly known) has been increasing over the recent years and so too have the criteria by which clients choose their estate agent. These two simple facts are perhaps not entirely unrelated
Going back 20 years or more, the choice of auctioneer in the town and the surrounds was very limited. In Bantry, there were 2 available. Of course, back then there was relatively little activity in the marketplace. The pace of growth of both business and the population has been frenetic ever since, so it was a totally different scenario – a different country, one might say. Firstly, from the point of view of the vendor (that’s the person selling the house in ordinary everyday language), the choice in estate agent was very important and carefully considered. The vendor would consult with the auctioneer, listen to his advice, and on the basis of such consultation, they would move towards putting the property on the market. Both parties were voluntarily locked into this arrangement. The vendor was loyal to the auctioneer and there was no question of him dealing with any other auctioneer or bypassing the auctioneer and going directly to a client himself. The auctioneer was loyal to the vendor in that his role was purely and simply to get the best possible price for his client. This reciprocal relationship was based on an exchange of loyalty and trust. While some people may see this as a sign that loyalty and trust have disappeared from our society, it is only partly true – business was done in a certain way back then because of the market conditions that prevailed. The market conditions have changed utterly, so in many cases, the nature of the relationship between vendor and estate agent has also changed. As a famous member of a fictional space crew once said, it’s logical.
Nowadays, the criteria have changed. When people are choosing an auctioneer, different factors come into the equation: Depending on the person, some will approach a certain auctioneer because they feel that they are the only ones that they can trust. Trust will always be an important factor; one is dealing with a very important decision here and a decision that invariably involves a lot of money. Other people still will be inclined to put their trust in their own judgement as to the property’s value and their own reading of the market. Nowadays, property values are rising quickly and a lot of people are more tuned into the property market. The low interest rates that have been a consistent factor over the last 10 years have meant that saving yields little and borrowing to invest in property has been relatively cheap. So, in short, there are now a lot of property experts out there. To add to the picture, many newer and less experienced estate agents that have come on the scene will often offer strongly differing opinions as to property values.
It is, therefore, a more fluid and less clear picture for the average vendor who may be uninitiated to the business of selling a property. Where to go and who to trust? A lot of vendors as well as purchasers tend to shop around and the result is that the role of the estate agent has changed somewhat. Nowadays, the welcome increase in competition means that the auctioneer has become more of a negotiator than a consultant. Indeed, the title “negotiator” is now used by many estate agents when describing the job.
Harringtons – Estate Agents Bantry – 027 51553
Specialising in West Cork Property in Bantry, Glengarriff, Beara, Sheeps Head and surrounding areas
