Why discreet property sales in Surrey are on the up

The benefits of discreet property marketing are becoming clear as more and more buyers and sellers opt to go down this more exclusive path. But what are the benefits of ‘secret selling’ – and who exactly benefits? Gareth Davies, Managing Director at Davies Property Partners, provides his top five.

Most people prefer not to do things under the watchful eyes of others. Whether it’s a personal or professional endeavour, for many, discretion is important. However, selling or buying a property – which can be linked to a big (and often sensitive) life transition – can often be a very public affair.

As a result, our Surrey estate agent has seen discreet property sales enquiries increase by eight per cent this year alone. So, is there a case for selling your property in private? The simple answer is ‘yes’, and here are several reasons why.

Under wraps

Providing access to your property – even if it’s just online in the first instance – can be a huge step. Not only that, but some sellers would rather that their neighbours, friends and even their family didn’t know about their intentions to sell. However, it’s very difficult to keep things under wraps when the UK’s property portals provide anyone and everyone with access to sellers’ properties, albeit virtually, within a few clicks. Discreet property marketing provides a route to market for sellers who, for whatever reason, simply don’t want to share their personal circumstances.

Testing the waters

A low-key exercise effectively adds a step between instruction and launch, which provides the seller and estate agent with the opportunity to refine and review their pricing strategy prior to a wider launch – if required. For instance, once a property is launched on the open market, it’s out there for everyone to see. If a price adjustment has to be made, everyone knows. By going down the discreet path and only speaking with a select handful of people to begin with, an estate agent can effectively test the waters by gleaning feedback that may inform pricing decisions before it goes on the wider market – and if it needs to go on the wider market, of course.

Paying a premium

Have you ever just missed out on the perfect property? If so, you’ll know that it stings. Whether you missed it by a matter of hours or were outbid, you’ll probably want to avoid being in the same position again. And this is where discreet marketing can help both sellers and buyers. A competitive property causes stress for buyers and creates more viewings for sellers. If, as a seller, you could bypass the time associated with multiple viewings, would you? Likewise, many buyers are more than happy to pay a premium for a property in order to remove the competition. 

Take a shortcut

Floorplans and photography are all essential components of any open market property sale. After all, it’s the images that bring a property to life. But floorplans and photography can take time. If time is of the essence, or if you’d rather shortcut this process, then off-market selling is a viable alternative to putting your property on the open market. We often sell a property based on a series of conversations between a list of buyers we have ready to go and a vendor who wants to sell their property in private. 

Stem the story

People love property. And people love to talk about property, too. We’ve all overheard conversations during which someone says, ‘oh, they’ve already dropped the price twice, or ‘that property’s been on the market for nearly a year’. By going down the off-market property sales route, you get to make sure that your property is never part of someone else’s story – or part of a conversation that you’re not part of, at least. Low-key marketing helps to ensure that everything remains discreet. 

Of course, despite these five reasons for discreet property marketing, the truth is that if you’re a motivated seller, you can’t really beat getting your property fully on the market. As good as any estate agent’s contacts book is, there are always people who’ve registered with the portals but who haven’t got around to registering with the agent responsible for selling the property that they really want.

Whether you want to sell your property discreetly, go for a full launch or opt for something in-between, we can help. Why not get in touch with your local Davies Property Partners office to find out how.

Cobham 01932 588288

Claygate 01372 462323

Hinchley Wood 020 8398 0265