Here’s a question. Why do property sales always go through real estate agents? Put that in your hat and sit on it.
This is not meant to be making a point, or some kind of brain teaser. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s actually a perfectly satisfying answer out there; as someone with very limited knowledge of how the property market works, I’m genuinely open to that. It’s just that, knowing only too well how careless and, frankly, slack real estate agents can be when it comes to managing rentals, I don’t get why we put so much faith in them when it comes to property sales.
When I say ‘we’, I’m mostly referring to buyers. Vendors can trust them more because they’re paying them, but buyers are just left to go along with it and hope the agents will point them in the right direction rather than just do their best to push them into buying something. There are actually professionals that buyers can hire to advocate on their behalf, doing the kinds of things that real estate agents do for vendors, but not that many people seem to know about this.
I’m talking about property buyers’ agents. Around Melbourne, I’m guessing, there are probably quite a few, but people just don’t realise it’s an option. It could also be that, when you’re buying a house, the last thing you want to do is shell out more beans for yet another type of professional input – and that’s before you’ve even got the conveyancer involved. But hey, can you put a price on buying a house you actually want, rather than one you’ve been bullied into bidding on?
It’s all about the inside knowledge. In this day and age, our options need not be limited by convention when it comes to securing that, and I say that’s worth making the most of.