Do you yearn for large open skies, crisp air, expanses of green and an excuse to wear your Hunter wellies? If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, perhaps the country is calling you. A new year heralds new beginnings and refocuses priorities. What area would you like to live in? How can you make sure the town or village you pick is right for you? A property finder can really help you to decide. It’s impossible to know the minutiae of your chosen place and often rather difficult to narrow down your search area, particularly if you’re having to travel quite a distance at weekends squeezed in between your work and family demands, relying purely on the estate agent’s information. There are differing tones, demographics and atmospheres to villages. Are you looking for an isolated calm and privacy or do you want to embrace village life? There are still quite a few quintessentially British villages with a “Vicar of Dibley” lifestyle, but which ones truly offer this? If you have children, what sort of environment do you want them to grow up in? Being in a city, town or village with access to excellent schools is a major consideration.
Perhaps of greatest value is the financial advantage that a property finder can facilitate. They know the prevailing market, they know the historic market conditions and they will have a pretty good idea about future expectations. They are also skilled at negotiating, you don’t want to lose an unnecessary and significant amount of well earned money. It is not unusual that the price saving agreed often actually cover the finder’s fee but this also gives you confidence that you’ve not only purchased or rented the best property but at the best possible price in exactly the right location for you.
Increasingly, especially in sought after rural locations, sellers will ask the agent to offer their home discretely and agents will often offer these properties to property finders before they start the marketing online. Using a property finder will often give you access to property you might never have seen on internet portals.
The internet can offer you an interface, an estate agent can offer you the face of one company (and is paid by the sellers) but a property finder gives you face to face quality time and independent advice across the whole marketplace with your interests alone at heart. Currently, and for the foreseeable future, there is a shortage of property on the open market, making personal contacts and excellent relationships with agents is of increasing importance. Having someone that you like and trust looking after you should make finding your new home a hugely exciting and joyous occasion, which is exactly as it should be.
