The referral scheme

Information for Estate Agents

Working together

I am not an Estate Agent, which is why I am looking for referrals from local Estate Agents to get in front of vendors who are struggling to sell their properties. If you refer me, I will recommend you. Together we can create a win for estate agents, for the vendor, and for me.

Home Sale Presentation Specialist

Hello, I am Laurence. I’ve done a fair amount of work on my previous two homes to increase the value and appeal. My wife said I should do this for a living, so when I had the chance I grabbed it.  I had been house hunting for a while and settled on a property because the garden was big enough. However, the interior still needed a lot of work. So I spent evenings and weekends creating a nice home that my wife could call home.

It occurred to me that I should specialise my skills into spotting what is preventing a property from selling, and my experience of house-hunting (trawling through listings for hours on end) allowed me to recognise which properties I had overlooked.

Even though I settled on a house that needed work doing to it, I realised that most buyers are deterred from properties because of one little thing that could easily be fixed.

Laurence joseph

About me

Laurence Joseph is a design studio based in Ringwood that specialises in House Sale Preparation – starting with the Home Sale Presentation Report. This Pre-Sale Survey aims to give vendors advice on how to best present their properties for sale depending on the Pre-Sale budget available. The Pre-Sale Survey would be delivered as a room by room report. If there are some minor obstacles to a quick sale, these will be included in the report. Major obstacles (that are within the vendor’s control) will be analysed in detail and a budget suggested on how to remedy the problem. The vendor can take the advice on the Pre-Sale Survey and carry out the work themselves, or instruct me to carry out the work and I act as a project manager for any work, or I do it with my own team.

I am advertising this service to potential vendors who may be considering putting their property on the market, and are looking for advice to sell quickly or at a higher asking price. My wife is quite high up in Google, so I know I can get in front of people.

My services would also be particularly useful to estate agents and would be looking for referrals from you. Why is this good for you? Read on below.

MUTUAL BENEFITS

Why would an Estate Agent refer me?

  • The vendor may actually ask for advice on how to present their homes
  • The work I do is not necessarily within the remit of the estate agents’ role. We make the criticisms and suggestions that estate agents may be uncomfortable to make, risking losing or offending the client.
  • I would be an independent party acting for the vendor. Any increase I make to a property’s value is good news for the estate agent and vendor.
  • You may have a property on your books that is not selling. You can ask the vendor if they are willing to drop the price, or use my services. It shows you are proactively doing something.
  • You may have an inherited property where the vendor has the budget to improve it, but is too busy or doesn’t live in the area.
  • I believe I have a special knack in spotting problems in how a property is presented and how they can be resolved within a reasonable budget.
  • I will also offer a staging service, just for the photos, or a complete staging service for an open day.
  • I can dissuade the vendor from using a different estate agent if the vendor feels the property is not selling.
  • You will be recommended as the estate agent to use
  • I can create the “potential” floorplan (see below)

Working more closely with me

  • You can use my services more directly and I can carry out the Pre-Sale Survey on your behalf while still remaining an independent party.
  • My Home Sale Presentation Report from an independent party can be advertised as something you offer to potential vendors. It also demonstrates to buyers that your properties have had a “property doctor” do the rounds. I believe this is a first, and has never been offered as part of the deal when giving an estate agent the instruction to sell their home. I hope for the sake of the industry that this will be the norm, as it reassures buyers that the property has been assessed by an independent third party before sale.
  • You would directly instruct me to carry out the Pre-Sale Survey, which shows the vendor you are serious about the sale
  • You don’t need to make the awkward recommendations about how a property is presented that might risk losing or offending the vendor.
  • I could suggest a more realistic selling price. As a third party I can agree with you that they really need to lower their price
  • I would make recommendations to enable them to sell at a higher price.
  • I will be able to stage empty properties to make them more appealing for an open day, or for the photos.

Want to sell your home faster and for the best price?

Call us today to to book your Home Sale Preparation survey visit, which is a FREE service if we have been referred to you by your estate agent.

The Potential Floor Plan

Most potential buyers will go to the floorplan first on RightMove, Zoopla etc. They may not get any further than this as something on the floorplan will have deterred them. The property may have a poor layout. Our “Potential” Floor plan will show how the layout could be changed to give the potential buyers more of an idea how the space could be better used, making them pause for longer and consider the potential of the property.

 

Example A:

  • There is a separate WC right next to the bathroom (which also has a WC). By knocking the wall down between the two bathrooms, there is now a much bigger bathroom with separate bath and shower. We could show this on the “potential floor plan”

Example B:

  • A chalet style house has limited headroom upstairs and you need to go through a bedroom to get to a bathroom, which would deter most people. Our “potential floor plan” would show how this layout could be fixed, making it more appealing. It simply gives potential buyers something to think about, especially if they loved the downstairs layout.

Example C:

  • Planning permission has been granted for an extension. We could show this in the potential floor plan.
  • Or, an extension is possible without planning permission. We could show this on the potential floor plan.

Example D:

  • There is a large bedroom and there is wasted space in on corner. We could show this as a dressing room, walk in wardrobe or en-suite on the potential floor plan.

FAQs

How much does this cost?

Nothing. My survey is free to both you and the vendor. I’m the only one who has something to lose. You should be able to discern if the vendor has a budget to make their property market-worthy. They only pay for any work I do after the survey.

Are you working for us or the vendor?

Neither. I would be independent. I would be making sure the vendor’s property is presented for sale, but at the same time I would be scrutinising the listing. Any gains the vendor makes in their property’s value is good for you, and the vendor.

Is it my fault I have a property that isn't selling?

Possibly. I see mistakes in listings all the time. It’s the vendor’s fault if they have a poorly presented house, but your fault if you highlight it in a photograph. Or the vendor is insisting on a higher price and you can’t persuade them to lower it. I look at all these issues.

Presentation isn't the reason why my client isn't selling...

Problems with location, or being next door to a petrol station, no parking, no garden etc. are all reflected in the price. We can mitigate these things with proper presentation of the property. Some buyers are prepared for a compromise, but might not be willing to take on immediate work on moving day.

What does an estate agent get out of this?

If you refer me, I refer you. I can’t say any fairer than that. My aim is to increase the appeal and value of properties through proper presentation. A higher selling price is good news for the estate agent. Selling quickly is obviously a bonus. If you give me a particularly strong lead, we can talk about how I will pay you back!

Aren't you just an interior designer?

Yes and no. I can do the design for people who are staying put as well as those who are preparing for sale. However, the design would be completely different. I wouldn’t personalise a home that was on the market, but I could if the client wanted to stay. 

I don't think I'll need you, but...

You’ve got a property languishing on the market for a few months and there’s no interest. The vendor has no budget, and won’t lower his price. That’s the problem I like to try and solve. It won’t hurt to call me.