“Sooo… glad we chose Whale & Co to sell our home this time round!”
“To our amazement we found it a totally positive experience.”
When Terry and Nicole began thinking about selling their home, they were nervous about a whole lot of things, such as; getting a realistic appraisal, would the agent look after their interest or not, would the advertising be done well, would they get any real service this time, would they be pushed into an auction, would they be handed over to junior agents after they’d signed up, would they be pressured to accept just any offer, would their buyers be treated with proper consideration, would the campaign go smoothly this time or would they be totally stressed out again at the end of it?
When asked about their experience in selling their home through Whale & Co, this is how Terry and Nicole responded to a number of interesting questions:
“You said you’d been through some real hassles those other times! So what made the welcome difference this time?”
“Well, right at the start they gave us a very honest appraisal of our home’s value in the present market. Then they actively tracked down every possible avenue to make sure we got what the property was worth.”
“But other agencies all say they do that too!”
“So they say, but bear in mind the agent gets much the same commission even if you – the Vendor – get $100,000 less than you might! So most other agencies focus on selling your place quickly, then moving on to the next one. But Whale & Co are different. They pride themselves on achieving the best possible price for you. They refuse to give up – even if it’s hard to find and match the right buyer to the property.”
“What about advertising? Were you happy with that?”
“Very. We found we could safely leave it all to them. They work with excellent professionals in this field, and take an active part in the photo shoot. They were right there on the spot, making sure each picture would appeal to viewers on the Internet especially. And the results were terrific – and very effective. They don’t talk you into heaps of advertising either – just to promote their brand!”
“Did they give you advice beforehand – on preparing the home for photos – and for inspections?”
“Sure did. This firm works with a team of professionals. They use interior design consultants, furniture hire companies, and most importantly, their own expertise, to help you present your home to its best advantage. If you need to store items, or hire furniture to enhance a particular area, they cater for that most efficiently at the start of your campaign.”
“Is that sort of help unusual?
“In our experience, yes. We’d previously sold two properties, but we’d never seen this level of service offered to Vendors. I’d have to say we were highly impressed with the professional package they offered!”
“How did you decide on the right method of sale for your home – private sale or auction or whatever?”
“We found that Whale & Co really know their market. They are experts in advising you about the best method for selling your home. In the past we’ve often found property agents very quick to push an auction method. But this is not always the best approach, as we experienced firsthand with our previous property.”
“You said that auction of yours was a disaster! What happened?”
“It certainly was, and we were pressured into a sale that was exceptionally disappointing. Whale & Co were quite different. At the start, they clearly outlined the virtues of a private sale in comparison to auction, or sale by a set date. We were refreshingly impressed, particularly in our situation where we really preferred a private sale.”
“People say that some agents can be really pushy – and very hard to handle.”
“That is all too true – some can be almost aggressive and quick to sign you on the dotted line. Not so with Whale & Co. At the outset we simply had a relaxed conversation about our plans to sell, why we wanted to sell and what our expectations were. But they also explained what Whale & Co could provide. They were able to show us the sales results they achieved within our area – and many of those were the highest prices in this locality –and they made it clear what we could expect from the firm. At no point did we feel under any pressure at all.”
“Was that your first contact with them? I mean, how did you come to choose Whale & Co to be your agents?”
“Well, no, it wasn’t our first contact. We’d actually met them earlier – at an open for inspection for another house they were selling. We were impressed at that time with their approach and results. Around that time we had a brief discussion, and we really liked the subtle but regular contact they maintained with us after that. You’d have to say we decided that Whale & Co were the agents for us even before we formally met with them!”
“What about the way they treated your potential buyers? Were you happy with that?”
“Very. That’s something we really noticed with Whale & Co – the focus and effort they made on matching the right buyer to the home. We’re sure that’s how they consistently achieve such excellent outcomes in their sales campaigns. They’re not after a quick sale at any cost (where the agent still gets a similar commission irrespective). They want the buyer to be as happy with the outcome as the home owner.”
“So you’d say that Whale & Co treat buyers in a way that’s different, too?”
“Definitely. This firm is extremely professional in following up potential buyers and assessing the genuine interest from prospective purchasers. The buyers are treated in a professional manner with none of those ‘over the top’ pushy salesman tactics that agents too often employ!”
“How did you feel about the salespeople who were working for you?”
“They were great – all of them. Whale & Co definitely has a TEAM approach. The staff are mature, professional, and know their business. Often with other estate agents you feel nervous. The person you sign up with is often not the one managing your campaign. Instead those doing the main workload are junior agents who do not have the knowledge or expertise. But when you meet with Whale & Co and sign up, you’ll be introduced to the TEAM. We found we established a great rapport and relationship with the entire Whale & Co team while still feeling that our sale was being directed and overseen by Senior staff members.
“With Private Sale, did you ever feel pressured to accept an offer you weren’t really happy with?”
“Not once! On the contrary, Whale & Co managed the whole process in the most professional manner. Potential buyers were nurtured along the journey and not misled in any way. So we didn’t have to go through the strain of receiving ridiculous offers and the pressure to consider such offers.”
“And how about negotiations to reach an offer that you were happy with?”
“We found that, when genuine, fair and reasonable offers were made, Whale & Co worked with both ourselves and any prospective purchaser to achieve the best outcome. When they believed they’d reached the ceiling of a specific purchaser’s price bracket, they came back to us with that person’s best offer. But we still didn’t feel pressured to accept it. Equally important, we were confident that this firm would not let us accept a lesser offer just to finalise and wrap up the sale.”
So – what aspects of the selling process made you glad you chose Whale & Co?
Well, here it all is in a nutshell:
- The entire campaign from beginning to end
- The professional support and expertise provided by the TEAM
- Achieving the best outcome for our property
- The management of the best sales approach for our campaign
- The dedication to achieve the best outcome even when there were hurdles or it took a little longer – because we knew this firm was with us for the journey – we knew we wouldn’t be forgotten as they moved on to the next easy sale
- The buyer was somebody who LOVES our house and wants to live there, and is delighted with the purchase.
- The end result delighted us – house sold, excellent price, professional and smooth campaign!
[Terry and Nicole have since used the services of Whale & Co to sell an investment property they owned.]