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Finding it hard to trust your estate agent? You’re not alone
A new poll from Ipsos Mori has found public trust in estate agents to be at an all-time low, outranking only politicians and government ministers – with much of the disapproval coming from older generations.
According to the survey, which ranks professions from most to least trusted in the eyes of the public, estate agents have been placed a lowly third from bottom, just edging out those from the political world.
Potentially more worrying, those in politics have actually increased their level of trust versus previous years, whereas estate agents are showing very few signs of upward mobility within the annual study.
Doctors and teachers respectively remain the most trusted professions, but those working within the world of real estate sales have a fair amount of work cut out for themselves, with current rankings placing them below journalists, lawyers and even bankers.
The study also found, the majority of bad feeling towards estate agents stems from older generations, despite those over 65 accounting for over a third of all UK homeowners, with many citing negative past experiences as a reason.
Younger people, however, are far more likely to trust the professionals when it comes to buying or selling a home, but not enough for the industry to start congratulating themselves – those from Generation Y are also more likely to trust those in government as well as business leaders and NHS managers.
This lack of trust has probably stemmed from dishonest industry practices in the mid to late 20th century, in pursuit of a quick house sale profit at the expense of client satisfaction – and clearly the stigma lives on. Another aspect of estate agency that is responsible for much derision are the extortionate fees associated with letting properties, leaving many customers out of pocket for simple services such as renewing a tenancy, or simply over-charging for credit checks.
Luckily, there are alternative methods of selling without incurring the problems often associated with estate agencies, and while there are undoubtedly trustworthy agents out there, the biggest issue for those looking to sell their home quickly is finding them.
If you’d like to sell your house quickly, ask National Homebuyers for advice, as we are leading UK property buyers who will buy any home. Call 08000 443 911 or request a call back to find out how much you could get for your property.
