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29th April 2024
Big Brand or Local
Estate Agents - Which is Best?
When it comes to choosing an estate agent to sell your home there are plenty of decisions to be made. For one thing, almost every agency will claim to be different from the others.
The truth is that there is one big single factor that does separate one type of estate agent from another. It's quite an obvious thing and when you realise why it matters it's definitely something you can use to your advantage.
Almost all service providers, specialists and even shops fall into two categories these days - they are either owned and run as a local independent business or they are part of a much larger chain company.
Big vs. Small
It would seem on the face of it that a large national
company would have more resources and be able to offer a better service than a
smaller local business. There are actually some obvious examples where this is
the case.
For instance, in the grocery and food sector the 'buying power' of massive corporations can mean lower prices for the consumer. However, even in this example a local independent butcher or baker can provide a much more bespoke service with great success.
In other areas bigger certainly doesn't mean better. A high turnover of staff, lack of interest and dedication through it being 'just a job' can impact the quality of service, and even worse than that the highest leadership positions are often filled by people from other industries who have no 'ground floor' experience.
These drawbacks apply to large chain estate agencies as much as they do any other business.
Local matters
When you read about the latest property news in the media it is usually reporting on nationwide trends that may have little impact on a local level. This is a good analogy for the difference between a big-brand estate agent and a local, knowledgeable and experienced independent business.
It doesn't really matter what might be happening to property prices at the other end of the country. If you live in a small town London's price movements simply aren't relevant. If you are a fist time buyer then it probably doesn't matter to you how the high-end larger property sector might be performing.
There really can't be any 'one size fits all' approach to buying and selling homes, but that is the approach that large brand chains have to adopt. Their whole ethos is based on conformity, cost-cutting and doing things 'the company way'.
When you choose a reputable local estate agent you know that you'll have someone who is working for you as an individual, putting your plans, needs, dreams and desires first. The aim will be to get the results that you want, not what a faceless 'head office' demands.
Who we are
What you need is an independent, local, experienced estate
agency with a great
reputation for success. That's who we are.
Director Paul Wilkinson was born in Brighton and has lived and worked across the city all his life. When he joined Maslen in 2008 he already had 17 years experience as a local estate agent.
Today he leads the sales side of Maslen, which has been recognised as one of the top 500 estate agencies in the country by The Best Estate Agent Guide for 2024, given the top 'exceptional' rating for the seventh year in a row.
Founder David Maslen launched the company in 1999 and today leads the Lettings and Financial Services side of the business.
A passionate commitment to customer care has always been the top priority, which is just one of the reasons that Maslen Estate Agents are so well-known and respected across Brighton and Hove.
A modern estate agency covering all of Brighton and Hove from our central hub located on one of the city's main thoroughfares, we have unrivalled levels of experience, skills and local knowledge in all aspects of the property market in our city by the sea.
Get in touch if you'd like to find out more about how our independent ethos offers so much more.
Call 01273 677 001, email [email protected] or pop in and see us on Lewes Road to have a chat in person.