The summer holidays are drawing to a close. The schools are going back. And for a significant number of people across the West of Scotland, the thought that has been quietly sitting at the back of their minds since spring is about to move to the front of it.
It is time to think about moving.
For most sellers, the process begins with a series of conversations with agents. Two, three, sometimes four, each arriving with a valuation, a presentation, and a case for why they are the right choice. It is, in many respects, an interview. And like any interview, the quality of the outcome depends largely on the quality of the questions.
This week, we asked a handful of people from across the Corum team a simple question. If you were selling your home, what is the one question you would ask an estate agent? Their answers, we think, are worth reading, whether you are preparing to move this autumn or simply want to understand what separates good agency from the alternative.
Who is actually going to handle my sale?
Who is actually going to handle my sale?
Bruce Patterson, Managing Director, Corum Ayr
“It sounds like an obvious question, but listen closely to the answer. Who will actually be hands-on in managing your sale? All too often, an agent arrives in a sharp suit, talks the talk, signs the client up, and quietly hands the home off to their staff. That is a cop-out. The agent you meet at the appraisal should be the one doing your viewings, working hand-in-glove with their team throughout.
If it is Corum and I sign you up, I will be the one showing buyers around your home. Beyond that, our whole team will visit the property to get their heads around what is on offer. I want a hard worker. Simple as that.”
How many homes have you actually sold in my area?
How many homes have you actually sold in my area?
Laura Quinlivan, Sales Coordinator, Corum Bearsden
“It is easy to pull a report and quote a value to a potential client. But if you do not know the ins and outs of the local market, a sale can hit the buffers very quickly. Nuance matters. Knowledge matters. You can only develop those things by doing the job, in the same area, for years.
I want to see a track record of success, not a postcode search and a guesstimate valuation.”
Why should I choose you?
Why should I choose you?
Marc Leslie, Deputy Managing Partner, Corum
“If a client asks me that, I have a dozen answers I could give. But above all, it is because I will fight for your corner at every stage, and so will my team. Reputations are not built overnight, and we have spent two decades making sure ours is one worth having.
I will be showing up at nine on a Saturday morning to show buyers your home. I will be the one making the case for everything that makes it special. We do not earn our money from any other source, which means you have our full and unconflicted commitment.
When a seller asks me that question with genuine intent, I love it, because I am completely confident in the answer.”
Will your staff visit my home before they start selling it?
Will your staff visit my home before they start selling it?
Stephanie Adams, Sales Coordinator, Corum Bridge of Weir
“For me, this is a non-negotiable. How can you trust someone to sell something they have never seen, let alone something as individual as a home? Every member of the team needs to know the property, its nuances, its character, and the things that make it different from every other home on the street.
That knowledge is what allows us to have genuine, convincing conversations with buyers about how it might work for them. I want commitment and understanding. If the answer is that they will rely on a brochure and a floor plan, walk away.”
Why would I use Corum?
Why would I use Corum?
Mark Jamieson, Partner, Corum Newton Mearns
“I am biased, of course. But I love that question when it comes up, because I am so genuinely confident in my team, our combined knowledge, and a track record that is now more than two decades in the making.
As a seller, you need complete confidence in the agent you choose. It is incumbent on them to make a compelling case for why they deserve it. Do not settle for vague reassurance. Ask the question directly, and see what comes back. The answer will tell you a great deal.”
If this were your own home, how would you market it?
If this were your own home, how would you market it?
Ross McCluskie, Valuer, Corum Ayr and Troon
“I have only been asked that a handful of times, but it is one of the most important questions a seller can put to an agent. I would want a genuine, tried and tested strategy, not a template.
I would want to know how the home is going to be presented visually, through photography and videography. I would want to know how the sales team is going to articulate it to buyers. I want detail.
A vague answer to that question tells you everything you need to know.”