Estate agents are being urged to prepare for the next shake-up of the home buying and selling process as the sector faces changes involving sales packs and digital property logbooks.
ICG Community says independent agents face a period of uncertainty as they attempt to meet existing material information requirements while preparing for further reforms.
Material information remains a legal requirement, but previous Trading Standards guidance designed to help agents understand what information should be disclosed has been withdrawn.
At the same time, the Government has committed to legislating for sales packs and digital property logbooks as part of efforts to improve the home buying and selling process.
PREPARING FOR REFORM
ICG Community will focus on the changes at its free Get Ready, Get Paid, Get Growing event for independent estate and letting agents in Bristol on 13 October.
The event will give agents access to specialists involved in the changing home moving process, including conveyancing solicitor and innovation strategist Sally Holdway, co-founder of Home Owner’s Passport and sale and purchase lead at the Residential Logbook Association.
Simon Taylor (main picture), who leads ICG Community, says: “Agents know change is coming, but knowing exactly what they need to do today and what they need to prepare for next is much harder.
“Independent agents shouldn’t need a huge training budget or spend hours trying to piece together conflicting information to get those answers. That’s why this event is free. It’s about putting agents in the same room as people who understand these changes in detail and giving them the opportunity to ask the questions that matter to their own businesses.”
GETTING PAID
The event will also examine the commercial pressures facing independent agencies as longer transactions and changing market conditions increase the importance of converting instructions into completed sales.
A session led by Katy Billany of CompleteASAP and SJ Taylor of GreenhouseOS will cover asking-price strategy, pipeline management, flexible fee models, referral income and reducing transaction delays.
Iain White, Founder of ICG, says: “There’s a lot happening in agency at the moment and independents are expected to keep on top of all of it while still running their businesses.
“What we want to do through ICG Community is make that easier. Bring the right people together, cut through the noise and give independent agents useful information they can actually take back into their businesses.”
