{"id":12704,"date":"2025-12-01T12:18:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T12:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/?p=12704"},"modified":"2025-12-01T12:18:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T12:18:50","slug":"ethical-agents-are-a-rare-breed-indeed-heres-how-to-spot-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/ethical-agents-are-a-rare-breed-indeed-heres-how-to-spot-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethical Agents Are a Rare Breed Indeed: Here\u2019s How to Spot One"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re looking for an estate or letting agent, smooth talking and slick sales patter can be seductive, but what you really need is an agent who\u2019s genuine, honest and ethical.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s how to spot an ethical agent.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t overvalue<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The dirtiest trade secret of unethical agents is to promise an unrealistically high price (or rent) to get you to sign on the dotted line when instructing them to represent you.<\/p>\n

Overvaluing can look wonderful on paper. However, the truth comes out when viewings and offers don\u2019t materialise, and the price then ends up being slashed, wasting precious time.<\/p>\n

Ethical agents will always offer an accurate market valuation based on evidence.<\/p>\n

And explain why it\u2019s correct and realistic \u2026. even if it\u2019s not the highest one you receive.<\/p>\n

They won\u2019t tie you down<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re offered a sales or lettings contract with a long lock-in period, don\u2019t touch it with a bargepole.<\/p>\n

Ethical agents have fair and open terms. Always ask any agent about their terms and termination clauses.<\/p>\n

They shun conditional selling<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Conditional selling is when an agent pressures buyers, sellers, or landlords to purchase products like finance or insurance before they\u2019ll proceed further. It can usually affect buyers, but not exclusively.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s sharp practice, pure and simple.<\/p>\n

As ethical agents, we shun conditional selling like Dracula shuns garlic.<\/p>\n

(We can suggest trusted partners if you need them. But we\u2019ll never insist you use them.)<\/p>\n

They\u2019re honest to a fault<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

An unethical agent will tell you exactly what you want to hear.<\/p>\n

But if something\u2019s not right \u2013 if the price or rent you want is unrealistic, if an offer is weak, or there\u2019s some other snag \u2013 an ethical agent will tell you straight.<\/p>\n

They keep in touch<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Ethical agents will keep you updated on enquiries, viewings and offers. And on progress once a sale or let is agreed.<\/p>\n

They won\u2019t leave you in silence. Or to do all the chasing up yourself.<\/p>\n

They put people before profit<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

To an ethical agent, people aren\u2019t just deals. They genuinely love helping local people buy, sell, rent or let a home.<\/p>\n

Ethical agents are happy to go the extra mile \u2013 even if it doesn\u2019t immediately boost their bottom line.<\/p>\n

They have a great local rep<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Ethical agents have top-notch reviews on Google \u2013 and many recommendations and testimonials from past customers \u2013 to prove they\u2019re as good as their word.<\/p>\n

Feel free to check out our reviews.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to choose wisely.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The agent you choose can make or break your sale or letting.<\/p>\n

Choosing the wrong agent can result in wasted time, money, and significant stress.<\/p>\n

Get it right and you\u2019ll find an ally who advises you honestly, works hard for you and always puts your best interests first.<\/p>\n

An ethical agent won\u2019t always tell you they\u2019re an ethical agent. They\u2019ll prove it to you in everything they do.<\/p>\n

To learn why we believe our approach to helping you achieve your property goals is unique, please get in touch with us today.<\/p>\n

If you know someone who might find this article useful, please share it with them.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is another way<\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are proud members of the Ethical Agent Network (EAN).<\/p>\n

A national group of independent agents who have been independently tested to ensure we meet strict standards of honesty, service, professionalism and community care.<\/p>\n

To find out more about what we do and why we passed the EAN and are
\nThe only local agency in the network, contact us today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re looking for an estate or letting agent, smooth talking and slick sales patter can be seductive, but what you really need is an agent who\u2019s genuine, honest and ethical. Here\u2019s how to spot an ethical agent. They don\u2019t overvalue The dirtiest trade secret of unethical agents is to promise an unrealistically high price […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[8,35],"class_list":["post-12704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice-for-sellers","tag-advice","tag-ean-member"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12704"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12706,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12704\/revisions\/12706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}