Posted: Wed Jun 1, 2022 1:08pm
Hi Susan 66,
It's not accurate to say that all estate agents have access to all available properties, but many will tell you that. Many agents do cultivate good relationships with other agents and will share the commission if they sell each other's properties (as was the case when we bought our house). However, agents don't typically like to share commission and if you only work with one, you'll likely only see the properties where they are the sole selling agent.
From my own experience, I would say that it comes down to who you're comfortable to work with. I contacted at least 10 agents: a couple didn't respond at all, some responded but never followed up, one appeared to be very responsive, even arranging a couple of viewings on properties we thought were their listings, only to find that when we went to their office at the pre-arranged meeting time, the agent wasn't there and a colleague in the office said the properties were sold anyway! We made 4 viewing trips from the UK of no longer than 5 days each time, so needed agents who were focused on what we wanted. I'd highly recommend spending time on the phone with a selection of agents, or visit their offices if you're already in Spain. We did viewings with 3 of the agents, but whittled it down to the one who listened to what we both wanted and always did what she said she was going to do. Ultimately, she found the perfect property for us, which wasn't on the main Spanish property portals, Idealista and Kyero, because the primary selling agent only advertises on their own website.
I'd also say to be aware of "property finders" - many have low overheads, because they don't have offices, but as the buyer you may not get a good deal. Friends of mine used one and paid at least €30k more than they needed to have done and discovered months later, through the vendor's brother, that the property finder took that amount as commission, with the vendor receiving considerably less than my friends thought was the list price. I'm sure the property finder would say that the vendor received an amount they were content to accept and the buyer was happy to pay that amount, but ultimately, they both felt duped.
If you're happy to share the type of property that you're looking for and in which areas, members may be able to recommend good agents - as well as those to avoid.
Kind regards,
Kim