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6 rules for buyers working with estate agents

6 rules for buyers working with estate agents

Author: Pranil Maharaj
Date: 2017-09-07

A good estate agent is invaluable to buyers looking for their dream home. Here are six tips for keeping your agent onside.

You expect to pay a consultation fee when visiting a medical professional or a lawyer and know that you will have to fork out some additional cash if you need a follow up appointment. This generally means that we keep communication to a minimum and only approach these individuals when absolutely necessary. The same goes for most other service-based industries including repairmen who in most cases charge a callout fee.

Estate agents however work on a commission basis and as such only receive payment (usually from the seller) once a sale has gone through. Unfortunately, this opens them up to all sorts of abuse. Yes, we know abuse is a strong word, but unfortunately there are plenty of buyers and sellers who don't think twice about wasting an agent's valuable time or expect an agent to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week and be instantly available when called.

When dealing with agents, there's a certain protocol that needs to be adhered to including:

Keeping appointments

Stick to office hours wherever possible

Know how much you can afford

Don't view the same property with different agents

Don't try to cut your own deal

Be patient