Award Winning Estate Agents in Surrey: A Day in the Life at Seymours.

It can be highly rewarding working as an estate agent; you are regularly responsible for helping someone find their dream home! Many thrive off the ‘buzz’ and challenges faced within this fast-paced industry – an estate agent will certainly tell you no two days look quite the same. 

But people often wonder what exactly the role entails day-to-day, with many led to believe it’s just a lot of phone calls and email drafting. With almost 30 years of experience within the housing market and an established, active presence within the local community, our dedicated team at Seymours know a lot more goes into finding the perfect buyer for our clients. And whilst there is no such thing as a typical day for an estate agent, in today’s article, we’ll be sharing a little insight into the daily happenings at an award winning estate agents in Surrey. 

What does an estate agent do?

The short (and obvious!) answer to ‘what do estate agents do?’ is that they sell your house or find you a new one to buy. Of course, that’s just a generic description of the role – and in reality, there’s a lot more to it. A Seymours estate agent wears many hats over the course of a day, from marketeer to salesperson and should make your property journey successful and stress-free. 

So, what are the services you may expect to receive from award winning estate agents in Surrey? 

Valuing

Combining market research with recently sold housing prices, an estate agent will utilise their extensive knowledge to understand where your property is on the spectrum. It’s essential a valuation is accurately made: too high could put buyers off, and too low may see the seller feel as though they’ve lost out. 

An agent will visit your home to build up a picture of the potential buyer personas, understanding what makes your property special and who it might appeal to most. Furthermore, they’ll think of different ways to make your home more attractive to house hunters – spiking the interest of potential viewers which could even add value to your property. A quick lick of paint or a freshly trimmed shrubbery may seem like unnecessary improvements to you, but your estate agent will know when a small change will make a big difference. 

Marketing

Many of us often forget, but marketing is one of the most crucial roles of an award winning estate agents in Surrey, or anywhere for that matter! Top agents understand the importance of utilising the digital marketing tools available. Here are some facts that you probably never thought of but at Seymours, we know only too well:

• 98% of buyers begin their house-hunt online, which makes online visibility vital.
• 54% of buyers prefer to see a video of the properties they are interested in.
• 92% of those potential buyers will share these videos with their friends when they search on a mobile device.
• Properties get 32% more engagement when they are accompanied by video marketing.
• And, it is predicted that in 2022 80% of all property-related inquiries will be generated from video marketing.

The most effective agents will also showcase local knowledge within their carefully crafted listings, and this can be a great indication of a proactive sales approach. 

Selling

Responsible for all areas of the sale, an estate agent at Seymours will show visitors around your home and field enquiries. A senior member will negotiate offers to make sure you get the best possible price for your property.

Our Seymours team understands the importance of property match-making – actively researching buyers in the area and learning their property requirements before reaching out to make that all-important connection that could see your home sold! They’ll also:

• Put up a ‘for sale’ board (highly recommended)
• Act as a go-between for negotiations between buyers and sellers.
• Handle all relevant paperwork.
• If there is a chain involved, they will monitor all the links and progress the sale
• They will liaise with both sets of solicitors.
• They will deal with any problems that might occur throughout the sales process.

Buying

If you’re a buyer, the agent for each is there to show you the property. They’ll accompany you around the home and will have extensive knowledge of the local area, schools, shops and public transport – our Seymours team all live in the Surrey area, so you can even find out the best coffee shop or take away too! Should you decide a property is right for you, you’ll make an offer through the estate agent and they will contact the owner on your behalf usually providing some detail about you as a buyer in a professional, honest manner. Additional services that you can expect as part of the buying process:

• Advise you on progress and how long your purchase will take. This can vary depending on buyer/seller circumstances, but the agent will keep on top of all this.
• Answer any questions you have throughout the process, contacting the seller if necessary.
• Recommend local tradespeople if you need to carry out works after completion.
• Advise you on legislation.

Seymours, award winning estate agents in Surrey: A day in the life of…

Owen Whitler, Property Consultant at Seymours Woking:

I tend to aim for a 5:30 am start to complete a run or workout, then fuel myself with a smoothie before the busy day ahead. I get kitted in a 3-piece suit and head to work. I do try to dress to impress; not only do first impressions matter but as Tom Ford puts it “dressing well is a form of good manners.”

Before arriving at the office around 8 am, I take a look at the news to keep up to date with what’s going on in the world and local area. For those that know Woking in Surrey, they’ll know there’s always something going on!

In the morning, I balance out three key elements that get me set for the day. Firstly, I partake in the morning meeting where we discuss new properties coming onto the market, outstanding offers to push forward and hear of any deals that have been done. Next, I’ll print out my diary and write notes about the different properties I’m seeing and the clients I’m meeting that day. In my eyes, if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Throughout the morning I’ll also be manning the phones, answering any enquiries about the properties we currently have on the market. The only comparison I can give for working the phones at Seymours Woking would be the Stockbroker floor in Wall Street, but with a lot more incoming calls!

On a standard day, I’ll visit between 15 and 20 properties with many motivated buyers! I leave the office with a range of the very finest PPE, more keys than a locksmith and a large smile on my face, keen and eager to find my clients their dream home. The viewings I look forward to the most, are what I like to call “THE ROASTING HOT VIEWINGS”. These are the viewings that we strongly believe the clients are going to love!

Here in Woking, we have a huge variety of properties on our books. In a day, I could be showing anything from a 1 bed flat in the town centre to a 6-bed house in Hook-Heath. For me, that’s the benefit of meeting and getting to know all my clients, as I can understand their needs and tailor their search. More often than not, if they are not keen on one of the properties I’ve shown them, I’ll have at least 3 more homes up my sleeve!

Not all viewings go as smoothly as I’d hope, sometimes people turn up very late for their property tour and they will only be able to have a quick glance around the property. Life can sometimes get in the way, but it can be especially frustrating if a client doesn’t show up at all as time is certainly of the essence. With the market going gangbusters at the moment, one unattended viewing is often the reason a client misses out on their dream property when the demand is so high! I find this one of the hardest parts of the job, telling people a home they were “umming and ahhing” over has now sold. 

After a busy day carrying out viewings, getting new offers and hearing the sales that have been agreed, I make my way home and take a moment to think about the day. What was good? Could I have said anything different to any of the viewers? What will I change for tomorrow? Before I know it, it’s the morning and action stations all over again!

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This busy setting is certainly not for everyone! The fast-paced nature of the housing market can be challenging, yet matching a house-hunter with their dream home is a rewarding feature of the role. Whilst you may not be looking to pursue a career as a real estate agent, understanding the day-to-day running may help you decide who to sell your property with in the future. It’s fundamental you work with an agency that consists of hard-working individuals, each with an evident passion for property and what they do. 

Why Choose Seymours

Your property partner for life. 

The team at Seymours Estate Agents are dedicated to finding the right buyer for your home and have the expertise to ensure, whether you are buying or selling, a successful, stress-free experience. 

Since 1992, Seymours has helped shape Surrey’s dynamic and rapidly changing property landscape. and carved a reputation as the estate agency that provides a premium property marketing service with a personal touch.

Looking to buy or sell? Work with the experts, get a free instant property valuation, see our latest properties in Surrey or contact us here for further advice.