Interesting new research has indicated that 58% of would-be homeowners in Britain are searching for personal relationships with their estate agent.
In addition, house hunters want their agent to have a sound understanding of their property requirements.
Estate agent relationship expectations
The survey was conducted by estate agency software provider Dezrez and looked at key attitudes and perceptions that UK property have towards estate agents.
Results indicated that a huge 93% of potential British home-buyers looked for a property online. 54% said they utilise a mixture of online facilities and estate agents to complete the buying process.
However, some potential homeowners said they would prefer to have a personal agent that can deal with the entire home buying process.
Expertise
In addition, those surveyed said that they rely heavily on estate agents’ expertise for key parts of the process. These were found to be:
- 72% for conveyancing
- 62% to arrange viewings and insepctions
- 53% for making offers
- 42% for financial negotiations
Justin Morris, chief executive officer of Dezrez, said: ‘buying and selling a home can be an extremely stressful and daunting process and good quality customer service still carries a huge amount of weight. Estate agents are well placed to offer sound, expert advice. They can help to alleviate some of the pressures and concerns that consumers have with managing the process themselves.’[1]
‘What we are experiencing in the property market is some interesting trends that are mirroring consumer activity on the high street. Whilst many people like to be able to search online, they clearly value the customer experience and human touch of face to face interactions. However, without the personal touch online only services aren’t necessarily going to be in the position to replace traditional agents,’ Morris continued.[1]
Relationship with estate agent important to househunters
Technological frustrations
The study also showed that many customers are frustrated with agents who are slower to adapt to using newer digital technologies. 67% of respondents feel that estate agents are not fully utilising technology to it’s full benefit. 44% said that agents must embrace technology in order to be successful in the future.
‘There is a real appetite for change from both estate agents and consumers, especially when it comes to the use of technology,’ Morris continued. ‘Advancements in technology, from mobile devices to cloud based software offer some amazing opportunities for the estate agent of the future. It gives them greater accessibility and freedom and helps them to alleviate some of the pressures experienced by home buyers and sellers.’[1]
Concluding, Morris said, ‘there’s a breadth of technology that can help transform the property industry and enable agents to deliver a professional and personal service across human and digital touchpoints. In order to survive, and thrive, estate agents must recognise and remain confident that they too have the tools available to remain competitive and keep customers satisfied.’[1]
[1] http://www.propertywire.com/news/europe/uk-housing-market-agents-2016052611961.html