These days, searching for the most outstanding luxury property for sale in London UK without an agent is largely unheard of. The simple fact of the matter is that those looking for genuinely breathtaking investment opportunities in the capital more often than not have better things to do with their time than spend weeks or even months on end trawling through listings. And of course, the fact that so many of the best properties on the market never actually make it to any kinds of public listings further emphasizes the importance of employ a professional agent to do things on your behalf.
Interestingly however, while the highest-end of the real estate investment market might be considerably more specific and niche than the mainstream buyers’ market, all agents working at this level are by no means of the same quality. Quite to the contrary in fact as while there are those that live and breathe luxury real estate as their pride and passion, others are simply out to make a tidy profit with little to no regard for the regard of their clients.So with this in thought, what follows is a fast introduction to just a few of the tell-tale warning signs that the agent you are looking at is more likely to ruin things for you than help make your dreams come true:
No Clear Commitment
First of all, when it comes to both selling and buying the highest-end real estate in a location as prestigious as London, you absolutely have to choose a committed and dedicated professional. Or in other words, an agent or representative who is exclusively committed to this end of the market alone and doesn’t simply dabble in exclusive properties as something of a sideline. Getting to know the luxury property market in London and keeping abreast of market matters and off-markets property listings represents an incredibly intensive and full-time job in its own right. As such, there’s really no room for part-timers when the home of your dreams is on the line.
Locality and Knowledge
It may sound like a pretty obvious rule to point out but it is nonetheless worth emphasizing the fact that if you are looking to invest in a luxurious property in London, you don’t want to put your faith and trust in an agent based in Belfast. It’s a pretty extreme and unrealistic example to say the least, but nonetheless illustrates the importance of their locality and local knowledge. They really cannot claim to be an expert in luxurious London properties if they do not live, breathe and indeed spend their lives right in the thick of things. You yourself may have little to no local knowledge whatsoever about London and its property market, therefore it is in your best interests to make sure your personal agent is quite to the contrary.
A Question of Independence
Always be aware of the fact that while so many personal property agents and experts may claim to be independent, they may in fact be intrinsically tied to other specific real estate agents or groups. The whole point of taking on a personal agent in the first place is as a means by which to open up the exclusive property market in its entirety, as opposed to only having access to a select handful of properties advertised publicly. And not only can totally independent agents open up a much larger range of investment opportunities, but they can also be relied upon for wholly impartial advice.
Unrealistic Promises
Last up, the simple fact of the matter is that no matter how good an estate agent is, it is completely impossible for them to offer and deliver on 100% guarantees in relation to both prices and timescales. For example, if they claim to be able to get you any given property for any given sum or by any given calendar date they will have found a property of your dreams, they are in every respect being dishonest. The real estate market at this level has always been rather unpredictable and while they can offer their own educated predictions, advice and indeed the promise of their total commitment to the cause, there are certain things that simply cannot and should not be guaranteed. As such, if you are made any kinds of unrealistic promises, this should talk to a lot about the way this particular agent does business.
