Who will sell our home? Property owners decide long before home goes on the market, says survey

research has revealed.

A survey commissioned by Johnston Press and conducted by SPA Future Thinking has found that most vendors shape their views about estate agents over significant periods of time – even when they’re not even looking to sell.

And when it comes to moving and selling their home, vendors on average talk to only two estate agents before making a final decision on which one gets the job.

The research demonstrated that adverts in local newspapers can directly affect a vendor’s appointment of an estate agent – with 79 per cent of those asked believing it is important for the estate agent they instruct to advertise in their local paper.

“Where and how an estate agent promotes their business plays a crucial part in a homeowner’s decision when it comes to putting their property on the market,” said SPA Future Thinking’s Chris Bland.

“People form opinions about local estate agents long before they think about selling. For many that could have been through years of looking at the property sections of their local press and shaping their perceptions over time.”

The research, based on responses from almost 600 homeowners – those with property on the market, prospective vendors and those not yet looking to sell – revealed: 30 per cent of vendors invite only one estate agent to give them a valuation before appointing an agent to manage their property sale, with only 10 per cent of those selling talking to four or more estate agents before appointing one 35 per cent of vendors who don’t read local newspapers already had a view on which agent to use before they entered the property market.

The equivalent figure for those who do read local newspapers is 56 per cent.

Forty per cent of people not yet looking to sell already have a view on which estate agent they will use.

The survey also demonstrated that advertising in the local newspaper drives interest in properties and therefore traffic to digital sources, with 82 per cent of buyers surveyed claiming to have further investigated properties – by visiting in person, visiting a website, or talking about it with family or friends – having seen a local press advert.

Johnston Press is one of the biggest media companies in this UK, publishing newspaper titles across the country as well as local news websites like this one, which in August 2013 were used by 13 million unique users who generated 100 million page views.

Homeowners’ perception about estate

agents shaped long before the selling

process begins

Homeowners looking to sell up choose a local estate agent long before they’re

ready to put their properties on the market, new research has revealed.

A survey commissioned by Johnston Press and conducted by SPA Future Thinking has

found that most vendors shape their views about estate agents over significant periods

of time - even when they’re not necessarily looking to sell.

And when it comes to moving and selling their home, vendors – on average - talk to only

two estate agents before making a final decision on which to appoint.

The research demonstrated that adverts in local newspapers can directly affect a

vendor’s appointment of an estate agent – with 79% of those asked believing it is

important for the estate agent they instruct to advertise in their local newspaper.

“Where and how an estate agent promotes their business plays a crucial part in a

homeowner’s decision when it comes to putting their property on the market,” said SPA

Future Thinking’s Chris Bland.

“People form opinions about local estate agents long before they think about selling. For

many that could have been through years of looking at the property sections of their

local press and shaping their perceptions over time.”

The research, based on almost 600 homeowners – those with property on the market,

prospective vendors and those not yet looking to sell – revealed:

30% of vendors invite only one estate agent to give them a valuation before appointing

an agent to manage their property sale – with only 10% of those selling talking to 4 or

more estate agents before appointing one

35% of vendors who don’t read local newspapers already had a view on which agent to

use before they entered the property market. The equivalent figure for those who do

read local newspapers is 56%

40% of people not yet looking to sell already have a view on which estate agent they will

use

Publication West Sussex Gazette Johnston Press

Date 9 October 2013

Editor’s name Unattributed

The survey also demonstrated that advertising in the local newspaper drives interest in

properties and therefore traffic to digital sources, with 82% of buyers surveyed claiming

to have further investigated properties (visited in person, visited the website, discussed

with family/friends etc) having seen a local press advert.