High Street vs Cyber Street

11 Dec High Street vs Cyber Street

As our lives are influenced more and more by digital platforms we take a look at the recent influx of online property portals and how they measure up against a traditional high street estate agent. Obviously there is some bias towards high street but we’ll try and be as balanced as possible… spoiler alert – it’s much better to work with a high street agent.

Pros and Cons of online vs High Street Agents

Online portals (not the agent themselves) are accessible 24/7. You can access the portal at any time, no need to book time off to meet with people. This means that often you will have to accompany potential buyers yourselves which might have you asking – “what am I paying for”?

Some online agents will organise accompanied viewings, however, you might have to pay an additional cost for that. Much of the actual ‘selling’ of the house will be done by the vendor which is often more than they had bargained for.

As a leading High Street agent, we rely on the human factor. The modern property marketplace has no place for anything less than immaculate service. Repeat business is one of our most important forms of marketing, so we have a personal and professional interest in our client. There is no greater marketing than word of mouth and so, we ensure that we dedicate our time and effort to getting the best result for our clients.

We work for you. So we ensure that we are adaptable and fit in around your requirements! We deal with issues, solve problems and guide you in your decision-making process to make sure you are on the right track.

When talking about disadvantages, you really get what you pay for. High Street agents tend to charge a higher fee, but then if you take a closer look at the service you are getting it is easy to see the value. We invest heavily in our marketing collateral for your property, including photography and we also ensure that our staff members are trained to the highest professional standards so that they can offer the best advice and service. A faceless online portal offers none of this.

Healthy Competition

Here at TW Property we pride ourselves on being one of the best estate agents in Tunbridge Wells and so we are glad of the competition.  We understand that people want the cheapest option when it comes to buying and selling a home – and it certainly seems to be a cheap way of doing it – if it works.

Online portals are simply marketing platforms. Your property will be advertised on the web and that is it. You pay a flat fee whether you sell your property or not – there is no incentive for anyone to find the BEST price for you or indeed the BEST buyer. They are focused on flipping houses quickly, getting fast sales rather than the best sale – it’s a volume business.

When you have an experienced property professional fighting your corner you can guarantee that they will be looking after your best interests. After all , the higher the price we can get for your  property the happier you will be with your experience, the stronger our relationship with you and perhaps you’ll recommend us in the future or even come back when you’re ready to move on.

We have lost count of the number of clients who have paid their fee to sell using an online portal, having had no luck have resorted to more traditional methods. You don’t have to take our word for it – a simple Google search will give you all the information you need.

If you are looking for property in Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas or indeed looking to sell your property, make sure you give one of our human experts a call on 01892 530109 or email us, we’d be delighted to help you and guide you through your options. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.