Powells are delighted to report their most successful year yet in 2019 for our estate agency team, despite the challenging market conditions resulting from the uncertainty experienced due to the UK’s pending withdrawal from the European Union.

Powells achieved significant percentage increases across the board last year of the market share of all rural properties marketed, and importantly sold, in the region. At a time where service levels (and results) for selling property from purported cheap ‘online only’ or ‘pay up front’ agents appear to be at a all time low, the Powells team have seen a significant surge of instructions from vendors ditching initially appointed ‘online only’ or ‘sub-prime high street agents’ that have not delivered for vendors.

Abbie Young, Estate Agency Sales Manager at Powells, urges any vendors considering marketing their property to carefully consider that to achieve an optimum result a professional, proactive and specialist selling agent is essential, especially in more difficult market conditions and where the property has a niche target market applicant, which is the case with village properties, cottages, smallholdings and country house sales.

A generalist high street residential agent cannot often deliver the marketing expertise, applicant contacts of buyers and service levels including during any sales progression stage to secure the right type of applicants, undertake expert negotiations to agree a sale and importantly work hard through the sales progression stage to secure the sale result. Any vendors who have been through the process will be fully aware of the expertise and ‘value’ of a professional and specialist selling agent. 

Lucy Phillips a Sales Negotiator at Powells comments it is important for vendors considering selling their property to reflect that property is very much a ‘people business’ with a specialist set of skills and marketing tools being required to secure the optimum result for a vendor.  Lucy also comments “A growing percentage of our instructions come to us from strong word of mouth recommendations from previous vendors who have been delighted at our professional expertise, service and results achieved in marketing and selling their property”.

In the last few years the Powells team experienced a significant increase in the number of vendor instructions from vendors who have previously marketed their property with another agent, and received a very poor experience, particularly from ‘online’ or ‘pay up front’ agents. Whilst these may have a place for lower value sub-prime urban properties, the vendors that proceeded with them for more bespoke prime rural residential properties came to us feeling incredibly dissatisfied with the service that they have been provided.

Lyny Wood-Cole a Senior Sales Negotiator at Powells comments it seems that after initially being lured in by the promise of an overinflated value, cheap fixed fee rate (often payable upfront when no instruction has commenced, or sale result looks feasible) and a quick sale. In reality what they tend to experience is that once they have paid a significant upfront fee (for effectively a simple Rightmove posting), the incentive wanes, with a lack of personal contact being noticeable and a lack of detailed property knowledge, local market knowledge, proceedable applicants and agency skills in ‘selling’ a property throughout the personal viewing and negotiation process.

David Powell Managing Director of Powells comments that for the majority of prime rural properties, there are a host of specific and unique matters to that property that often arise during the sale progression stage. It always requires experience, detailed property knowledge and a proactive approach, along with the correct interpersonal skills between vendor and the purchaser for a sales transaction to often achieve being successfully concluded. The fall out rate of agreed sales via an ‘online agent’ always appears to be high.

At Powells we provide, and deliver, to each of our clients a bespoke marketing strategy along with an un-rivalled personal service. Combining this with our skilled and experienced agency teams’ expanse of local market knowledge, extensive applicant database of buyers and full suite of agency marketing tools & skills, we can successfully maximise the interest and result of each client’s properties.

Mr & Mrs Hudson, vendors of The Perrogs Country House at Cwmcarvan, Monmouthshire provided a glowing testimonial commenting “Having engaged several previous selling agents (including an ‘online only’ agent) to sell our much loved country house for over a year, we were immediately struck by Powell's completely professional approach to all elements of the bespoke marketing strategy required to sell The Perrogs. All aspects of Powells agency service, including the use of a very competent professional photographer to produce beautiful images of the property, rather than the dismal 'snaps' the other agents had commissioned."

Mrs Hudson continues “This set the tone for the whole experience and resulted in a maximised sale being agreed within five weeks of Powell's engagement. All through the subsequent sales transaction, Powells handled all the inevitable queries that arose with great skill, considerable charm and complete professionalism. The Powells team were simply magnificent and provided excellent advice, ensuring that the purchasers were fully engaged and dealt efficiently with a number of property related queries the buyers solicitor has raised. We cannot praise Powells highly enough for delivery of a sale in very short order, and in a totally professional and ceaselessly pleasant manner throughout our first house move in over thirty years. Our heartfelt thanks to all at Powell's for their considerable efforts.”

If you are considering selling in 2020, for a free no-obligation marketing appraisal, please contact Sales Manager Abbie Young, or any member of the Powells estate agency team, on 01600 714140 or email [email protected]