Being an Estate Agent gives one exclusive insights into the secrets of the industry and how it works. Today I am going to risk my own safety and reveal all for the first time.
As a sales Estate Agent, one makes money from selling property. One can only sell property if one has property on one’s books to sell. 
So the first rule of Estate Agency is “Win The Instruction”.
With most property owners choosing their agent based upon the valuation given, the most important thing for an Estate Agent is the figure they give at the valuation. So most Estate Agents as a matter of course over-value in order to win the instruction. And because they know that the other Estate Agents attending are also going to over-value, they need to really, really over-value in order to win the instruction.
If this sounds strange to you, just think of all those properties you’ve noticed that have been on sale for months (or even years). These are products of the over-valuing trend amongst many Estate Agents.
I checked official figures yesterday and discovered that according to Rightmove, the average property at Elizabeth Davenport had been on sale for just 7 weeks. By comparison some very well known large Estate Agents in Coventry had averages of more than 30 weeks. Why? Because their properties are over-valued and over-priced.
Imagine trying to sell a £10 note for £11. What do you think would happen? Of course, people would laugh and walk away. And that is exactly what happens to over-priced properties. By comparison what do you think would happen if you put a £10 note on sale for £9? Of course, people would flock round and an auction would begin, resulting in a bidding war and probably a sale price approaching the £10 mark. In other words the only danger when pricing a property is “over-valuation” and in reality there is no danger of “under-valuation” whatsoever.
But the magic circle will never admit any of this to you and my head will probably be on a stake by tomorrow morning…………………
