When choosing a Letting Agent or Property Manager, it pays to channel your inner Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes and do a little online sleuthing.
As we all know, many Letting Agents are known for having the ‘gift of the gab’. You’d be hard-pressed to find one who doesn’t claim to have a strong community standing, good track record, and proven marketing formula, but how do you know if they’re telling the truth? Well social media is a good place to start…
I’m not suggesting you believe everything you see on the internet. But a quick online snoop will provide plenty of clues as to how proactive an agent is, and whether their claims marry up to reality.
Here’s my Top Tips for some online sleuthing
Step into a Tenants shoes
Even if you’re not a big Facebook or Instagram user, many people – including potential tenants are, so peruse the social media of local agents and analyse what you see. The best agents are dynamic, professional, consistent, and personable – qualities that should come across on their social media channels.
Do they have personality?
Ideally, an agent’s social media will give you some idea of what motivates and drives their business. Why does this matter? Renting your property is a big deal. Better to go through the experience with someone you feel comfortable talking to and whom you trust.
Engaging Content
Top agents do more than just market properties on social media – they engage with the local community, they show you their personality, they publish articles about important topics of the day (these might cover property-related matters or more general talking points). Savvy agents use social media to build a following so that when they have a property to market, they have a ready-made audience.
Reviews
Reviews can give you an idea of an agent’s strengths and weaknesses. Feedback from Landlords, Tenants and Investors can provide useful insight.
Presentation of Properties
Compare how different agents market properties. Look for an agent who uses high-quality images or video footage of clutter-free rooms and informative and engaging property descriptions. Steer clear of agents who use grainy snaps of darkened rooms. In our image-focused culture, dodgy pictures are a huge turn-off for Tenants.
For an example of how an experienced agent uses social media effectively, go ahead and follow me at: www.facebook.com/bruceandsimpson or www.instagram.com/bruceandsimpson
Thanks, as always for reading
Sandie
21 October 2021
Why Bruce & Simpson?
IT’S SIMPLE – WE ARE DIFFERENT…
No other Property Management company anywhere offers what we do. The work we do isn’t a job, it’s a passion.
We want to offer our customers the best there is, and with our personalised service and unique partnership with our service team – Work With Group – we offer the complete package under one roof.
Independent. Proactive. Professional.
Our customer reviews
By chance we came across Sandie at Bruce Simpson, having always used “bigger” more well known companies before when needing to find tenants for our rental properties. Never again. The service far exceeded our expectations and went over and beyond, it was worth every penny of the more than reasonable fee payable. Sandie did everything Haybrooks did not. She achieved more in one week than they did in one month, keeping us posted in a kind and friendly way every step of the way. Bruce Simpson excels in providing a personal service, covering every aspect needed effortlessly. Thank you. 100% would recommend to landlords and tenants alike.
I have been working with Bruce & Simpson for nearly a year now. Great communication, fills rooms quickly and solves any problems that arise with tenants!
After feeling disgruntled by the treatment of the high street agent we were using to find new tenants and manage the properties, I was introduced to Sandie and was impressed by her passion and “thinking outside the box” attitude to marketing my properties. Nothing is too much trouble and any maintenance issues are dealt with straight away. Very happy
