Avoid Long Contracts!
We were recently invited to a home which has been on the market with another agent for some time, with very little interest.  The seller wants to change agents, but she is tied into a 20 week contract.  She feels that she signed up without realising the implications.

After all, if an agent is confident of selling your home, why should they demand such a huge tie-in period?  Moreover, if the agent’s service has not been up to scratch, surely it is understandable if sellers want to try a different company?!  In fact the only reason for a tied-in contract is to stop customers changing agents… and happy customers don’t want to change.

At Underhill, we have all but done away with tie-in contracts, asking only for 2 weeks notice if a seller wants to move.  And, for homes covered by our guarantee, we will cut our fee in half if we don’t find a buyer within 12 weeks.

Our advice is to avoid tie-ins altogether..  and if an agent does ask for a tie-in, ask them why they have such little faith in their ability to deliver a good service!

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