Why choose Jackson-Stops?

 

J-S Your Questions Answered

WHY JACKSON-STOPS?
An established national estate agent with excellent regional coverage, London presence, strong marketing capability and dedicated local teams providing a superior personal service.

With Jackson-Stops you get the best of both worlds: the strength of a national agent, with all the marketing power, connections and shared experiences that brings with it; as well as the personal service and expertise you would expect from a local independent agent. Many of our staff, including the Directors, have worked at both ends of the spectrum and know the limitations that apply to the larger corporate firms and the smaller independents.

Jackson-Stops has over a century of experience in selling quality property, and our success has enabled us to expand throughout the UK. We now have an extensive network of over forty offices, including a strong presence in London. Our network, online presence and range of expertise means we have contacts in all the right places and a reach far beyond your average estate agent.

DO YOU HAVE BUYERS FOR MY PROPERTY?
We have an impressive database of applicants looking for good quality property and we are constantly looking at ways to extend our reach to buyers because we know that in a challenging market pro-active communication is key.

Digital marketing is becoming ever more important and we invest heavily in ensuring our online presence is as prominent as possible. Buyers now have a wealth of information, sometimes not the best or most flattering, at their fingertips and can easily be put off a property or area because of something they have seen or not seen on the internet. The fact that a high proportion of our business comes a result of referral or recommendation and that we often receive positive feedback from our applicants, is evidence that our efforts are appreciated and rather unique.

Our buyers want us to be their agent. At Jackson-Stops we cannot underline the importance of one-to-one communication enough. We do not wait for buyers to come to us. We have a strong collaboration of strategically located offices spread across the country including a strong presence in central London. Working together, we have connections to local, regional, London, national and international buyers.

WHAT PRICE SHOULD I MARKET MY PROPERTY AT?
Setting the guide price within the correct bracket at the beginning of the marketing effort is vital. Lingering on the market with an over-optimistic price generally doesn’t lead to a satisfactory sale.

Jackson-Stops provide sound market appraisal advice based on experience and factual sales price data. Whilst current available property prices in your immediate area can be useful to plan marketing strategy, they should not be relied upon to gauge the value of your own property, particularly if those properties have been on the market for some time – an indication that buyers are not prepared to offer what is being asked.

Too many agents pitch high on price to win instructions; the result being that properties sit on the market with little or no interest until the price is reduced or someone comes in with a cheeky low offer. Sadly, this means that the majority of properties end up selling below the guide price after a long time on the market.

It is well known that the first two weeks of marketing are your strongest chance of achieving the most interest and the best price. But, if you are over-ambitious on the guide price and miss out on that initial reaction and the chance of generating competitive interest, sadly the chances are you could be in for a longer/tougher selling experience.

Of course, if you are in no rush and are happy to wait for someone who is willing to pay a premium price, we will not shy away from the challenge! But we do not recommend this course of action.

WHAT DO WE DO FOR OUR FEE?
Jackson-Stops may not necessarily be the cheapest agent (although often not the most expensive either) but before you make a decision based on fees alone, we urge you to consider what you are getting for your money.

With the emergence of online agents offering minimal flat rate fees and multiple High Street agents all competing over the same properties, fees are often a deciding factor in the appointment of an estate agent. Whilst other agents may undercut on fees, we do urge you to discuss this with us before making your final decision. As previously stated, your first launch to the market is your strongest and you don’t want to compromise on this. We do get a lot of clients coming to us the second time around saying that they wish they had come to us first, rather than going for the ‘cheaper’ agent.

BEFORE YOU MAKE A DECISION, ASK YOURSELF THESE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

• Do you like and trust the agent? Bearing in mind they are probably going to be your primary contact and will be responsible for negotiating the best price on your behalf, do you feel confident in their ability and enthusiasm? Simply put, do you want to deal with them?
• Is the agent a one-person outfit or is there a team who will be working on your behalf? Do you feel confident in that team?
• Does the agent know your property and your area? Do they have experience in selling your type of property and do they know what other properties in the immediate area have sold for and why?
• Does the agent know their buyers? Do they build a rapport with them? Do they register applicants fully, know what they want and where they are coming from?
• Do they offer legal advice and guidance on how to prepare the house for sale and do they have a marketing plan? Or are they just interested in getting a signed contract and launching half-measured?
• Look at their website and marketing materials. Are their properties well-presented and do you have to pay more for marketing?
• Do they offer accompanied viewings as standard without extra charge and are the viewing staff competent/local/knowledgeable and enthusiastic people? Can the agent supply consistent positive reviews? (Look at Google reviews or testimonials on the agent’s website, preferably supplied through a verified review company like Feefo).
• Will they assist through the conveyancing process as well as the sales process? In an increasingly litigious environment, it is important to have an agent who will have a firm grip on the solicitors/conveyancers to help push a sale through. Many agents consider their job is done once a sale is agreed, but we know how much work is involved in keeping a sale together until exchange of contracts.

Here at Jackson-Stops we pride ourselves on being a cut above the rest when it comes to these answers. We continually invest in improving all aspects of our service, our staff are dedicated and hard-working and we truly believe that you get what you pay for.