The Times They Are A-Changin’

They are indeed, and what’s interesting here is that when the mighty Mr Bob Dylan penned the lyric to this great song: “ admit that the waters around you have grown and accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the bone.” he wasn’t thinking necessarily about how high street estate agents have failed to be vigilant to the changes in market forces,
Now the recession has thinned the number of high street shops in most of the UK but many estate agents have held on in there. In fact one major chain is spending a fourtune revamping their offices right now (Because nothing helps sell my house better that a new designer range of crazy coloured office furniture)
Anyway, how/why do they do this?
Well high street estate agents have always charged a percentage of the value of your home so they do earn a awful lot from each house sale, far more than it cost to sell the house and as a result have done very well for themselves, particularly after the price of houses shot up. The reality is that the cost of marketing a property has not gone up to the same degree. If anything, because of the lovely internet, it’s gone down in real terms. So, one may argue that there is lots of room to lower their charges…. but they don’t .
Why is that I wonder?
Well its simple economics. There was no consumer need to do so. Don’t get me wrong everybody wants to save money but customers have almost been ‘trapped’. They knew it didn’t matter which high street agent they chose, they all cost the same. The consumer moaned (as you would) but reluctantly accepted the situation.
Until now! Until House Revolution.
Wise words Mr Bob because times they are indeed ‘a changing’ and the High street is really not sure how to deal with us. Yes you can lie about us to new customers (happened twice last week) steal for sale boards (now that happens daily) or even refuse to talk to house buyers who have sold through us (yes, they hung up on one chap) but the fact is economics has spoken. Reduce your fee, improve your service, cut your cost or soon you’ll be drenched to the bone