The current downward pressure on house prices is creating more opportunities for self-employed agents, according to Sean Newman, founder of The Property Experts.
Rightmove data shows that house prices in September rose by just 0.3%, much less than might be expected during the Autumn ‘bounce.’
Newman said: “Affordability is absolutely still a massive issue out there and that is putting pressure on prices.
“Being a self-employed agent is about two things: marketing and negotiation.
“The houses that are marketed the best will sell first. And the sellers with the best negotiators will achieve the best prices.”
There are currently 12% more homes for sale in the UK than there were this time last year.
Newman added: “Some traditional estate agents will simply over value a property, charge a low fee to win the listing, get the house on the market in any way they can and when it doesn’t sell, get the owner to keep dropping the price until it sells.
“The vast majority of sellers are not expert negotiators, that’s what estate agent should be – great marketers and great at negotiation.
“Because self-employed agents are their own boss, it’s their brand, their face and their reputation.”
