A survey suggests that an overwhelming proportion of estate agents believe the government should make the provision of upfront property information mandatory.
The poll found that 91 per cent wanted upfront information and only nine per cent opposed the idea. The survey was one of several taken at a webinar, attended by hundreds of agents and hosted by pro-upfront information company Gazeal.
Other polls included one looking at how long agents believed a typical house move would take: for 57 per cent it was three months, for 29 per cent it was four months, and for 13 per cent it was six months.
A further poll asked agents when they are most likely to be instructed. For just six per cent this was before the initial appointment with sellers while for 24 per cent instruction happens at the appointment itself, and for the lion’s share - 70 per cent - instruction occurs after the appointment.
A final survey at the event asked whether the government’s official How to Sell guide should feature as part of an agent’s listing process, to which a massive 92 per cent said yes - just eight per cent disagreed.
Gazeal co-founder Bryan Mansell says: “The numbers suggest that most sellers, therefore, expect a fairly quick sale, with a turnaround of only three months. And the speed of a sale can 100 per cent be improved by the provision of upfront information as standard, to move things along much swifter.”
He adds: “The poll results above show the industry is willing to change, and is ahead of the government in terms of upfront information, which is a no-brainer for so many.
“At Gazeal, we’re keen not to just be another PropTech firm, we’re here to help agents, to help them grow their bottom lines and enhance their business … We are creating hundreds of reports to help agents win more instructions and win the battle for listings, which is going to be the dominant theme of 2022.”
Last week Estate Agent Today reported that one of the back-room drivers behind reform of the house buying process - civil servant Matt Prior - would be moving to the issue of leasehold reform next month, after several years working on ‘upfront information’ issues such as reservation agreements.
You can see more on Prior’s move here.