These under the radar sales are intrinsically a very British way to sell and buy a house and suit many people for a whole host of reasons. They are discreet and calm and progress at the pace set by the vendor allowing them a little more control and time to find their next purchase with ease.
Weekes Estate Agents are based in Magdalen Road in the very heart of St Leonard’s and have a lot of visitors. ‘People are always popping in to ask advice and update us on their circumstances,’ says Tony McGee. ‘Over the years the agency has sold many properties here and helped a great number of people. We are aware of properties that are just about to come on to the market or ones that are off the market but available for the right buyer.’
How does the secret agent work?
The property is not listed on the estate agency’s website, not listed on property search portals and there are no open viewing days or sale board…so how does it sell? The truth is by surreptitious phone calls to the right people.
A good agent will know exactly who is interested in buying in a particular street or area and which ones will suit the price bracket and type of house in question.
For all sorts of reasons some properties cannot be seen to be for sale on the open market. The process might be unsettling for the occupants or bad for the business that rents premises there. These sales fall naturally into the secret agent portfolio. However your private property sale does not need to relate to a sensitive situation to be included in the portfolio. More and more vendors approach us with the idea of selling their house if the right buyer came along. They are not necessarily in a rush, perhaps having not yet explored the market themselves. A sale in this manner gives them the time and space to secure what they really want.
Interestingly the fall-through rate for this type of sale is extremely low as the vendors have time to select a property that they are sure about and the buyers remain focused knowing that they are getting first refusal on a house that exactly fits all their criteria.
For those that seek help with purchasing a house in a particular street or neighbourhood Weekes do pinpointed letter drops and wanted ads to ensure their buyer realises their dream. ‘Often we have several buyers who all want a similar type of property in a popular street,’ says Tony and in that situation we use specific ads to find other potential vendors who may wish to proceed if the circumstances of the sales process is accommodating to them.
