Q. After careful consideration over who to instruct to sell my house I have just agreed terms with my chosen agent to place my property on the market for sale. Having discussed the way forward with regards to viewing arrangements my agent has asked if I can provide them with a set of keys. Is this really necessary, and are there really advantages to letting my agent have keys?
A. Keys – to allow the agent to have them or not, that is the question. In my opinion having keys to a property that we are marketing is a priority. Today’s hectic lifestyle means that most of us are rarely at home as longer working hours seem to be the order of the day. Although generally speaking people tend to want to view on the evening and weekend you would be surprised how many people now take time off from work to hunt for their new home. We often have people wonder into the office in the middle of the day with no pre booked appointment doing just that. If we have keys we are able to strike while the iron is hot and view immediately. Often whenever keys are not available and we have to wait for the vendor to return home, that buyer is usually back on the train home having made an offer on something they were able to view during the day. Buyers too, are often far more relaxed when viewing if the vendors are not present as are the majority of vendors, its far more comfortable to let the agent show a prospective buyer around, this allows them to take a detailed look around, check the storage throughout the property and listen to see if the road noise will keep them awake at night, most viewers would not do this whilst the home owner was present. You just need to consider how you would feel yourself when out viewing for a prospective new home, would you prefer the vendor to be home or not? Security of course is paramount, and a key tagging system that does not relate your keys back to your property is operated within all reputable agents offices. Talk through any concerns you may still have directly with your agent, I’m sure they will put your mind at rest.