Why You Should Work With A Letting Specialist
Since I joined the Real Estate industry, not too long ago, I have had many conversations with clients who have told me that they do not wish to work with agencies in order to avoid paying the agency fee. Whilst I can understand that moving into a new property brings with it many expenses, one also has to recognize the many added values when working with a professional and honest property specialist.
In this article, I will mention just a few reasons why I have always chosen to work with agencies in the past, and why I strongly recommend everyone to do the same:
1) You will save A LOT of time!
Working with the right agent, who really understands your requirements and who can provide you with a shortlist of properties that fits with your criteria, will reduce your online search (maybe you can even skip it) and spend more time actually viewing properties of interest.
2) You will have access to MANY more available properties!
The majority of landlords are working with agencies. Why? Because they do not have the time to deal with all the requests they may receive. Landlords want to use their time only with serious prospective clients, those who really are interested in their properties and are able to afford them. The agent’s work in this case is to make sure that the property fits with the client’s criteria and to avoid any unnecessary communications. Only a few properties would be advertised directly from owners, meaning a limited selection of properties that may be of interest to you. As an agent, I have access to the largest database in Malta with over 50K properties all around the island!
3) Negotiation margins increase.
When landlords deal with us agents as their ‘partner’, they are constantly being provided with new sales opportunities. Hence, they are usually more willing to drop the rental price of their property in order for us to continue collaborating with one another.
4) More legal protection.
How can you be sure that your landlord will correctly register your contract with the Housing Authority? What if what was promised in the contract is not fulfilled? Having a third party involved in the process as a witness will provide more transparency to the whole transaction and you will be fully protected in the event of having any issue.
5) Avoid ‘tricky’ landlords.
This point is very much related to number 4. If you are not protected legally, with a lease agreement that follows the guidelines outlined by the Housing Authority, the landlord may be tempted to keep the deposit at the end of the tenancy for a made up reason, or may not follow completely all the government rules and you will end up spending much more money than you would have spent on the agency fee, not to mention the amount of headache we can save you by not having to worry about this.
6) Better promotion as a tenant.
Agents know exactly what landlords are looking for when they want to rent out their properties to the right tenants. , It is up to us to better promote you as potential tenants so that the landlords will be more keen to take on a viewing with us.
So, to sum up, working with a real estate agent is not only a short term investment but also a long term one. Not only will you have more chances to find the perfect new to call home, but you will also have much more security in the process, personalised guidance and you will save a lot of time and effort, which at the end of the day, is also money.
If you are looking to rent a property in Malta or if you still have questions about the added values of working with real estate agents, please feel free to contact me.
Gisela Moreno Mellado
+34 623199 044
+356 7729 7538