Services for Buyers and Tenants
Mortgages, Financial Services, Property Insurance and Life Assurance
Most buyers need finance. Many agents are not large enough to provide this service. This can be another low hanging fruit. There are various forms that this could take, from, a wholly owned online and technology driven brokerage, to a smaller referral-based business.
(i.e. Who says that a one-to-one meeting with a mortgage broker needs to be in person. What about a professional Zoom meeting, set up by the local agent handling the purchase/sale?)
Engineers Reports, Drains Testing, BER Reports
Inspection reports of various types, including drain testing, BER reports, etc., are becoming more and more a part of any purchase transaction. If the IPAV succeed in getting “Seller Packs” set into law, property sellers will be looking to us to advise how to go about this.
Could we be involved in recommending suppliers? Should we provide the service?
Even without the “sellers packs” purchasers are delighted with any guidance provided by the estate agent.
Utilities
An Estate Agent is ideally placed to recommend a Gas, Electric, Refuse or Broadband supplier to a new property owner or tenant. People have a lot on their plate when they are looking to move in.
I recently received a €200 voucher/discount to switch my electricity supplier? Can we monetise this? Can we help property owners and tenants while also benefiting from a referral income? Of course… another win-win.
Furniture Removals
This is a multi-million euro business, where Estate Agents are ideally placed to provide referrals, information and guidance on a necessary service. Be it a short move, or an international move, help is required, and a referral would be welcome in many cases.
Foreign Property Sales
This might be an area of profitable commercial interest. Estate Agency fees in most European countries are far higher than in Ireland and Irish people have property all over Europe. Many Irish people who bought 15 or 20 years ago, look to sell a property as they get older. It is hassle to deal with an agent in another country/language. They might be delighted to deal with their local Irish auctioneer, as a joint agent if they were part of a larger organisation providing expert advice along with advice in selecting a local foreign agent would best serve their needs, in a joint agency type of arrangement with various “local” foreign based sales agents.
Tenant Insurance
This is an area which has not been serviced properly in Ireland. Yet most tenants have phone insurance, car insurance, take out holiday insurance, etc.
A recommendation an e-mail link or an App, might be all that is required to develop a multi-million Euro business “Tenant Insurance” business.
Property Maintenance/ Commercial Property
As we know only too well, property needs maintenance and services. On commercial property there are Fire Alarms, Lift Servicing, Smoke Alarms which all need regular upkeep, maintenance and servicing.
Who better to recommend providers? Or who better to become the provider? IEAS will examine opportunities and potential tie ups in this area.
Property Maintenance/ Residential Property
On the residential side, people need referrals for all types of work required in relation to their home or investment property; Painting, Cleaning, Gardening, DIY. If there is an app for that, it should be ours. How often has a house needed cleaning, painting, gardening, plumbing before it is brought back to the letting or sales market? Is this a service we as agents can make a margin on, while recommending a good tradesman to OUR client?
