THE AGENTS

Cameron Campbell

Divisional director

Fleurets

As property agents, we have three primary roles: we provide vendors (clients) with professional and considered marketing advice based on comparable evidence and experience; we put buyers in touch with vendors; we make sure that those people who do business with us (vendors and buyers) want to do business with us again.

It's all too easy to think that agents simply put an advert in the press, wait for the phone to ring, organise a viewing, and collect a fee. This never happens. In the majority of cases, sales go through because of targeted communication about a sale; we're not just looking to match buyers and sellers, but looking to match the right buyer with the right seller - simple, right? Wrong.

At Fleurets we look very carefully at where buyers come from and this can be seen in our annual Where Buyers Come From Survey.

This year's survey results have just been published - so what did we learn? We learnt that more people viewed licensed property through Fleurets than the previous year (up 11%).

Once again, our website generated more buyers than any other source, with 40% of people buying through us after making an enquiry, or sourcing particulars online.

A major part of our fresh approach involves sales negotiators speaking to prospective buyers first hand and listening to what they want, to get an understanding of their requirements - where they can/cannot afford some flexibility in sourcing their ideal licensed property - and it's a service that brings a lot of satisfaction to both us and our clients.

By whatever means a buyer finds a seller, we all need to remember that simply advertising will not ensure that the right buyer picks up the phone to make an offer.

Sure, advertising will generate a response, but it's the work that your agent has done before and during the sale process that will make the real difference. Is the sale price right? Are you targeting the right audience with your property? Will your agent have the experience to sift the good buyers from those killing time or showing just a casual interest? Does the buyer have the necessary skills, qualifications and finance to affect a sale?

Choose your agent carefully; look for a track record of delivering results, ask for testimonials and, most importantly, ask them where your buyer is going to come from.