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Choosing your Estate Agent
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is the first and probably the most important part of
the house selling process. Remember you can’t necessarily
choose the agent that you buy through, but it is very important
that you choose the right agent to sell through.
Often sellers will go to the agent they bought through but
times can change: new manager, staff, image, popularity
- best look at a number of agents and choose ones that handle
properties like yours, they will already have a database
of buyers from their marketing of similar homes and will
be best placed to advise on valuation from first hand experience.
Also, think local, buyers do, and your property should be
in the nearest suitable agents window, they are the most
likely to have buyers looking in your locality and will
also have viewing staff on tap nearby.
Instinctively sellers would like the highest price for the
lowest fee, but be cautious, this may not necessarily be
the right thing to do. Valuers can be tempted to be a little
over enthusiastic about the price in hopes of winning the
instruction and usually the fee they charge relates to the
quality and the standard of service they provide. Look very
carefully at the service they offer, office network, their
strength in the local market, advertising coverage, internet
presence, viewing policy etc, and that in reaching their
decision on value they have done their homework properly
and can provide evidence to back up their opinion. Don’t
be afraid to ask questions, make a list if necessary or
compare what you are offered by others. Most important,
choose the agent you believe you can trust.
At Murrays we have spent many years upgrading and improving
our service to both our clients and buyers and now provide
what we believe is the most comprehensive marketing package
in the area.
THREE LOCAL OFFICES AND LONDON
Strategically situated in three prime locations in the
area's most important villages, each offering and displaying
all of Murrays properties and all linked by a highly sophisticated
computer network complemented by our London office in Grosvenor
Square.
Stroud – Minchinhampton – Painswick –
Mayfair
A FRIENDLY 15 STRONG TEAM
Murrays are an Independent Family firm in which three members
of the Murray family, Clive, Richard and James, are
ably supported by two office Managers, Steve Harris and
Guy James, three negotiators, Sophie, Jennifer and Josh,
front line sale staff, Annette, Averil and Julia, all backed
up by our excellent Admin and IT team, Gill and Carol who
put together our excellent brochures and newspaper and internet
advertising.
All live in the area, many for most of their lives. We believe
local knowledge, being part of the community and understanding
our environment is an essential part of being a good estate
agent. Local history, communications, schools, employment,
places of interest, local events, local experiences to share
and above all our wealth of contacts.
Our sales team alone have over four decades of local
experience.
CLIENT’S PERSONAL ADVISER
Every vendor is allocated a partner or manager to look after
their property whilst still having the whole team working
to find a buyer. They will be advised on preparation of
the brochure, marketing plans, presentation of the property
and many other aspects relating to the sale and, obviously,
this will be a good opportunity for clients to ask about
anything else they need to know or want Murrays to do for
them. This will be followed up by regular meetings to discuss
progress until the property is sold.
SUPERB BROCHURE QUALITY
This is so important; a poor quality brochure depicts a
poor quality property. Your property deserves the best,
and to this end we aim high. All our brochures are of an
extremely high standard, most are laminated and are illustrated
with excellent colour photographs, together with floor,
boundary and location plans where appropriate.
THE MAYFAIR OFFICE
Much better than a head office in London that only sells
London properties, our Mayfair office is ‘our office
in London’ devoted to the sale of country property
and pointing London, National and International buyers in
our direction. They are also a very effective marketing
machine, constantly encouraging property journalists who
write for the National press to promote us and our properties
in most of the National papers and magazines; last year
alone they achieved over £2 million worth of equivalent
advertising space for their members. In the Spring and Autumn,
The Murrays Group hold Cotswold property presentations
at the Mayfair Office inviting London buyers to meet and
discuss our Gloucestershire and Cotswold properties on their
own doorstep. The Mayfair Equestrian Group is the
largest network of agents in the UK dealing in the sale
of property with land suitable for equestrian use.
INTERNET PRESENCE
Combining immense local strength with National and International
exposure
Murrays and Just Cottages both have their own excellent
Internet sites which link to several major property portals:
Prime Location, where some of the finest houses in the country
can be found, together with Property Finder, Think Property,
Vebra and Fish for Homes, are rated as the most popular
sites with all types of agents and buyers across the country.
All available properties are advertised on these sites,
including the web sites of Country Life, The Telegraph,
The Times and many others. Each with several pictures, location
maps, aerial views etc and full particulars can be downloaded
anywhere in the world if required, as well as instant email
notification of new properties to registered buyers as soon
as they come on to the market.
www.murraysestateagents.co.uk
www.murrayscountryhomes.com
www.justcottages.net
ACCOMPANIED VIEWING POLICY
Accompanied viewings are an integral part of our service
– in fact, we prefer to do them ourselves, a good opportunity
to encourage interested buyers to offer then and there.
This is a critical part of the marketing process and one
that needs planning, preparation and skill to execute properly.
Meeting and getting to know the buyer helps to identify
their needs and relate them positively to each property.
That is why we only use experienced negotiators who know
the properties and can, if needs be, conduct a sale on the
doorstep. A well-conducted viewing can ensure the viewer
is focussed on the property and can often establish quickly
their potential as a likely buyer.
LOCAL AND REGIONAL ADVERTISING
The Murrays group are now the largest single advertiser
in the Stroud News and Journal (over 150 pages a year in
The Stroud News & Journal); we advertise regularly in
the Gloucestershire Echo (Cheltenham area), the Citizen
(Gloucester area), the Dursley Gazette and Western Daily
Press (South Gloucestershire and Bristol areas), the Wilts
and Glos Standard (Cirencester and Swindon side), Cotswold
Life and often Barringtons. We also take a double page in
At Home, our Mayfair Office magazine which is distributed
through hundreds of member firms offices across the country.
There is no charge for advertising in any of these publications
at our normal sole agency commission. We aim to have as
many of our properties as possible advertised somewhere
nearly all the time.
NATIONAL ADVERTISING
Murrays regularly advertise in the national press and glossy
magazines, attracting buyers from all over the UK, Europe
and all over the World.
Together members of Mayfair Office group are one of the
largest property advertisers in the Daily Telegraph, Country
Life and Horse and Hound, not to mention The Times and Sunday
Times, FT, Evening Standard and many more. As a result excellent
rates have been negotiated, sometimes half standard rate
card, which are of course passed on to clients at cost,
saving hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds through our
London advertising agents.
FEEDBACK AND MARKETING REPORTS
One of the most common complaints about estate agents is
lack of feedback. Our sales team each carry their own viewing
logbook which ensures instant reports are left at your
property after every viewing. On a regular basis the manager
or partner allocated to look after your property will arrange
to meet with you to discuss the progress of your sale, usually
in the form of visiting you at your home or often having
a meeting in our office where information regarding mailings,
enquiries, viewings, responses, offers, sales progress and
advertising are instantly available. In addition we pride
ourselves on maintaining continued contact throughout the
sale on all matters of importance.
FREE MARKET APPRAISALS
The valuation process is as important as choosing the right
agent. You, the client, and your property deserve that full
and careful consideration is given to both valuation and
marketing.
At Murrays we take this process very seriously – we
do not make snap judgements, we take time to reflect on
all the elements involved, including the current market
conditions, demand, your timeframe, as well as age, history,
appearance, accommodation, condition, presentation, location,
and any special features of the property. Comparative prices
achieved and similar properties currently for sale must
also be taken into account and we also involve the views
of our colleagues who are part of our daily valuation meetings.
Valuation is a fine line and although it is most important
to achieve the best price, asking too much can sometimes
ruin your chances of an early sale. Most successful sales
happen in the first weeks of marketing, frequently at the
asking price and often more if there is competitive interest.
If however one misses those so valuable early buyers, crucial
time can be lost, often resulting in a lower price being
achieved because the property has lingered in the market
for too long.
From all this we decide on probable value, we don’t
inflate it just to please you and win your instruction,
we try to be realistic and hopefully do better on the day.
Finally, we discuss it with you and once we have considered
all the information to hand, including other opinions if
appropriate, we decide between us the most suitable asking
price. We will also advise on method of sale, private treaty,
public auction or perhaps tender. Our own Richard Murray
is a qualified property auctioneer.
EMAILING, DISTRIBUTION AND TELEPHONE
SALES
Latest technology and our superb computer software now enables
us to notify buyers immediately you instruct us to put your
property on the market.
As soon as we are given the green light a high percentage
of our buyers are instantly notified by email, taking them
directly to our web site where they can download full particulars
if they wish.
Anyone registered with Prime Location and other property
portals looking for a similar property will also be notified
automatically as soon as the property is put on the market.
Immediately the brochures are printed, they are mailed to
our most suitable buyers.
All of this continues to be backed up by our sales team
constantly contacting buyers by phone, personal contact
we believe is still the most effective way of getting the
buyers to the right properties.
OPEN HOUSES
A popular marketing idea used by many agents and long practiced
by realtors in the US. A service we are happy to offer to
our clients but which we normally apply to new homes and
empty houses.
We are concerned that our occupied furnished properties
may be at risk and in some cases not covered by insurance.
The nature of open houses is that advertising and boards
invite visitors off the street that we may not know or have
had previous contact with, and although we make every effort
to obtain their details our normal stringent rules of always
taking names and addresses of applicants before they view
could be less secure.
We will of course be happy to discuss with you further and
of course carry out your instructions if you would like
an open house arranged.
REALISTIC FEE STRUCTURE
Fees - Should you decide to place the property with
Murrays to sell our inclusive commission is based on 1.75%
which also includes your HIP – Home Information Pack.
This is based on the final price agreed and is subject to
the current rate of VAT. We frequently work with other agents
on a joint agency basis and although a higher fee is involved,
we can usually agree a competitive rate.
From time to time we vary our commission structure based
on the level of service required, and will be very happy
to discuss this in more detail when the decision is made
to place the property on the market. As you will see from
our services and marketing we include a great deal more
than other agents within our fee, but we also appreciate
that where savings can be made, we should be able to make
allowances too. This may involve financial circumstances,
reductions for senior citizens, a special rate for low key
marketing or perhaps a developer who has several houses
for us to sell.
Whatever your circumstances, please feel free to arrange
to discuss this with us and we will do all we can to accommodate
your special needs.
We hope our clients don’t choose Murrays because we’re
the cheapest estate agents, we hope those who do, choose
us because they appreciate the value of a top quality service
coupled with a generous level of marketing and genuine effort
to achieve a sale at the best possible price. After all,
using an agent who is most likely to find you a buyer and
also do their best to achieve for you the best possible
price must be more attractive than an agent dependent on
volume and making sales regardless of the price achieved.
Surely, a few thousand on your price is worth a lot more
than a few hundred off your fee!
RE-INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY AND OUR
COMMITMENT TO CANCER RESEARCH
Murrays support local charities, schools, and hospitals
and sponsor local events as well as cancer research nationally.
WE RAISED NEARLY £20,000 IN 2005
JUST COTTAGES
An additional service unique to Murrays, a specialist department
devoting itself to the sale of cottages and smaller country
homes. All our cottages continue to benefit from all the
facilities offered by Murrays network of offices, sales
team, advertising and internet exposure but will also have
their own additional internet web site and marketing. A
bonus to a lower priced section of the market within which
we have always been strong.
FREE HOME INFORMATION PACKS
From 1st August, a HIP – Home Information Pack –
has become a legal requirement before a property can be
placed on the market for sale.
Many believe this is just more hassle adding to the many
stresses and worries attached to selling your home. At Murrays
we have the solution, it’s not nearly as hard as you
think and we are ready to ease our clients through a successful
sale without any extra hassle or expense. The only difference
likely to affect you is a visit by an energy performance
surveyor. Otherwise HIPs are designed to make the whole
sale process quicker and easier. At Murrays we believe we
must be the most experienced agents in the area, we have
been through all the ups and downs over the years and have
experienced practically every scenario that house sales
can throw at you. Over those years our priority has been
to find solutions to those problems making the whole process
smoother and easier for our clients. Therefore, we feel
we are well placed to handle new challenges like HIPs, be
able to explain matters in simple terms and most important,
relieve our clients from the burden of the often stressful
house selling process.
After careful consideration we have been able to absorb
the cost of the HIP, including local authority searches,
within our sole agency fee.
WE believe it is now an integral part of the house selling
process and therefore should be an essential part of our
overall service.
CONVEYANCING
This is an essential part of selling your home. It is therefore
very important to instruct a solicitor or conveyancer as
soon as you decide to sell your home. The legal process
takes time to prepare and once you have found a buyer, you
need to get contract documents to their conveyancer as quickly
as possible otherwise valuable time (often weeks) can be
lost. At Murrays, we recommend you contact your existing
solicitor who will most probably be familiar with your property
or a good local solicitor who will have the benefit of local
knowledge and contacts. We can also offer you the services
of Mayfair conveyancing, a part of our Mayfair Office who
provide a fast efficient service at competitive rates on
a 'NO SALE - NO FEE' basis.
MORTGAGE FINANCE
Although Murrays have always resisted getting involved in
financial services, we do recognise the importance in being
able to help both our clients and their purchasers with
the means of getting best advice on mortgages. As an add-on
facility, MAYFAIR PRIVATE FINANCE, part of our London Mayfair
office, offer a comprehensive range of mortgages from all
the banks and building societies, as well as many not necessarily
available on the High Street, to cover most borrowing needs
and many unusual circumstances.
Offices at:
50/51 London Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire. GL5 2AD
01453 755552 fax 758580
stroud@murraysestateagents.co.uk
3 High Street, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire. GL6
9BN
01453 886334 fax 883030
minchinhampton@murraysestateagents.co.uk
The Old Baptist Chapel, New Street, Painswick, Gloucestershire.
GL6 6XH
01452 814655 fax 814650
painswick@murraysestateagents.co.uk
12 Lees Place, Grosvenor Square, London. W1K 6LW
INSTRUCT
MURRAYS AND JUST COTTAGES
FOR A BETTER RESULT
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