IN THE MARKET FOR A HOUSE?
Help your estate agent to help you.
Often estate agents will spend days and weeks with buyers to try and find them the right property. However, after all this time, the agent may find that he is still nothing closer to getting to a satisfactory option.
The main reason why an estate agent may be unsuccessful in his/her endeavours is that the buyer does not communicate his/her wish list properly. So, the agent, keen to help the buyer, stumbles blindly around in the dark and will show houses, flats, empty plots ranging in price between N$ 50,000 and N$50 million. The buyer keeps on changing the goal posts and it becomes frustrating to both buyer and agent.
To make your connection with the agent worth your while, be well prepared and clear about what you want before you visit the agent. Then spend some time with the agent and respond with openness and clarity to the questions. These questions will be so framed that it will provide valuable information in finding you property options which may hit the target – the property that will become your home.
It would be a major help if you could have a written list handy specifying your most important needs. Issues such as PURPOSE (investment, holiday, retirement) price bracket, finance method, house vs apartment, location, special requirements, etc must be clear to the agent before you depart on your property buying excursion. Some items can be listed as “not-negotiable” whereas others would be “nice-to-have” extra’s.
By being clear on the above issues you will be able to make the most of your interaction with the agent and get so much closer to finding what you really want.