Sales Progression

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Hi, I’m Abbie. I joined #TeamSellicks in early 2017 as a Sales Negotiator and I love my job! Particularly (and possibly a little unusually!) the sales progression side of things.

To a lot of negotiators, even the mention of sales progression horrifies them. Whilst they may have very good sales skills and feel confident showing properties and agreeing sales, the actual sales progressor needs to also be a strict record keeper and have a thorough knowledge of the conveyancing process.

Did you know that on average, 36% of sales arranged in England and Wales fall through after the offer is accepted? That’s a scary thought, especially when so much is riding on the sale of your house so you need to know that your Agent is on your side and willing to fight your corner when the sales process gets tough, as it often does!

 

So, what is sales progression? It sounds scary, but basically what it means is liaising with all parties involved, monitoring all those tricky milestones to ensure that communication doesn’t go unanswered, questions are responded to promptly, and disputes are handled sensitively to help a sale proceed from an offer being made and accepted (under offer) to sold subject to contract, contracts exchanged and finally the sale completed, with all parties as happy with the outcome as possible. This process is best handled by someone with methodical, enthusiastic attitude who is as passionate about your house sale as you are - me!

 

Who do we mean by parties? The Purchaser (buyer), Vendor (owner) and their respective appointed Solicitors who are handling the conveyancing, as well as any Financial Advisers or Brokers and other Estate Agents within the chain.

 

What’s a chain? Every sale is different, and some properties, if for example being sold by a landlord who is not buying anything else to a cash purchaser, will really have no chain, but in most circumstances there is a sequence of linked house purchases, each of which is dependent on the preceding and succeeding purchase.  Obviously, any chain is only as strong as any one link, so it is important that each link is kept updated on progress, and the longer the chain, the more to contact. Fun times!

 

Sales progression used to be just another part of sales office administration, whereas it is increasingly becoming a main focus in the level of service provided by an Agent. As a result of this, most corporate agents decided to create separate departments solely for sales progression, however they soon discovered that there are potentially more negative points to this than there are positive. Clients in today’s market are far better informed on the buying and selling process than ever before and whilst some clients just look to their Agent to ensure the transaction is pushed through quickly and others require extensive hand-holding, ultimately they are all seeking the best customer service possible.

 

Sam Ashdown, Home Truths
 

You can also help yourself at this tricky time, by making sure you do the following:

  • Instruct your solicitor early - before you get an offer - then inform your agent
  • Get your documents together - this may be details of any work you have had done to the property, planning permission, guarantees and certificate
  • Complete and return all paperwork from your solicitor as soon as possible; for example, the fixtures and fittings enquiry form
  • Keep a diary of all communication and double-check anything you have sent has been received, whether by email or post

With a great agent experienced in sales progression management, and thorough communication and record keeping, you’ll put yourself in a far better position to get that sale to completion.

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