Читать книгу The Female Investor - Kate Hill - Страница 20

These people get a bit of a bad rap, like used‐car salespeople and journalists, and most of them really are decent and lovely people with a job to do. Are there some bad apples? Of course there are. Are some better than others? Sure, but you can say that about every industry.

When someone wants to sell a property that they own they will likely engage a selling agent to do that for them. A selling agent has a legal obligation to act in the best interests of the seller. This is called their fiduciary duty. The agent would generally:

 advise the seller on what price the property might sell for based on recent comparable sales

 advise on and then handle the sales and marketing strategy

 negotiate with potential buyers

 often (but not always) handle some of the post‐purchase process, such as issuing contracts of sale and liaising with the buyer's mortgage broker and conveyancer to ensure smooth settlement.

When buying property, we can't always choose the agent we work with. The agent is chosen by the seller, not the buyer. You're simply choosing the property you're interested in and will then have to deal with the agent assigned to that sale. However, that doesn't mean they're not useful to you. A good agent will know their area inside out, will know many owners and sellers of property, and may have access to listings that haven't come onto the open market yet.

If you have a good relationship with local agents, then they can tell you when new listings come their way — sometimes before they're publicly advertised. So it pays to be courteous and treat them with respect, because you never know when you may need to negotiate with them. You never know when you may need them to present you and your offer to their client, and if they don't like you, they may not do that in a way most beneficial to you. So be nice!