The Best Estate Agents Speak Plain English

4th November 2024

The Best Estate Agents Speak Plain English

If you have ever sold, bought, rented or let a property you might think estate agents speak a language only they understand!

Admittedly things used to be a lot worse when anything written by an agent featured words and phrases such as 'pleased to bring to market', 'notwithstanding' and 'forthwith'. Thankfully these have largely fallen out of fashion.

However, it's easy to feel that jargon and industry terms are sometimes used to pull the wool over your eyes and that's not good when you're trying to choose an estate agent you can trust.

Plain speaking

At Maslen we speak to our clients as we would do to anyone else, using clear, honest terms and phrases that you don't need to use a specialist property dictionary in order to understand.

It goes beyond that though. Plain speaking means telling the truth, whether that's something you might want to hear or not. If a neighbouring house has recently sold for a certain amount of money, you may be unhappy to hear an experienced professional valuation that gives you a lower price.

This is where some estate agents are sadly still economical with the truth. Your neighbour may have had extensive work done, a more modern kitchen, an extra bedroom as a loft conversion, or any number of other factors that affect the market value.

One way that plain speaking really matters is when you're finding out how much your home is worth, and it's a good start to having a working relationship with an estate agent that really is built on trust.

Recommendations and reviews

Every business has to advertise itself to get more clients. The trouble is that some estate agents are more interested in doing this than they are in marketing your home for sale!

This can often apply to big chain brand names, whose successful offices elsewhere in the country effectively subsidise their less effective local cousins.

That's where a truly local, experienced agent who knows your area inside out comes out on top.

Having a recommendation from family or friends is worth its weight in gold for most things, and when it comes to property it really can be the most reliable way to find the right person to do the job you need.

Today online reviews can work in this way as well. It's important though to look at how recent the reviews are and exactly what strengths they highlight. For instance, if you want to rent out your investment property an agent whose great reviews are all about sales might not be the best choice.

A good attitude

An agent that talks down to you is as bad, if not worse, than one who tries to confuse you using property industry buzzword bingo. Even worse than either of these is someone who tries to apply pressure in any way, telling you that you need to make a quick decision for one reason or another.

When you are selling your home it's your choice, your timetable.

In day to day life we all tend to work out quite quickly whether someone is trustworthy and that often comes down to the way they speak to us. A good agent will of course have a local reputation that speaks for itself in many ways, along with the facts and figures that make their case for them too - all clearly stated in plain English!

If you'd like to find out why so many people choose us to sell their home in Brighton and Hove call us on 01273 677 001, email [email protected] or pop into our central office on Lewes Road to talk face to face.

Testimonials

  • Very helpful and patient team.

    Mrs Shea Selborne Place

  • All the staff I dealt with were excellent. Sharon worked really hard to complete the sale.

    Mrs Bent Falmer Gardens

  • We cannot recommend Maslen's estate agents enough.

    Many thanks to Paul, Donna, Janette and the...

    Linda & Les Wigmore Close

  • I wish we had used you to sell our property! Nice to meet honest people, who are genuinely interested in helping. Very pleased.

    Mrs Porter Taunton Road

  • Very impressive - professional and friendly, both Martin Timms and Paula Carter were excellent at keeping in contact with sensible advice based on...

    Mrs O'Connor Hove

  • Sharon was amazing! She kept us up to date the whole way through the process. We cannot fault Sharon or the rest of her team. 

    Mr & Mrs Ashley Woodingdean

  • A very positive experience - I had most contact with the Fiveways office and they were so friendly and helpful.

    Ms A King Balfour Road

  • A very committed team who made the sale process very easy.

    Ms Rees Ticehurst Road

  • Please thank Paula at Lewes Road - Excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Nuthall Lewes Road

  • The Woodingdean team were very friendly and approachable.

    Mrs Palmer Pitt Gardens

  • The staff were very helpful, an excellent service. I would recommend you to others.

    Miss Hockly Fiveways

  • In February 2016 I was looking to buy and sell very rapidly. Competition among buyers at the time was very high. Sharon @ the Woodingdean branch sh...

    Ms Helen Lyons Woodingdean

  • Quality advice about when and how to sell, which was spot on. Thank you.

    Miss Coleman Buller Road

  • Very pleased with the excellent service throughout. Professional, friendly, efficient and no hard sell. Achieved above asking price. Thank you!

    Mr Witten Lewes Road

  • Ben was particularly enthusiastic and helpful. Martin, Paula, Sam and Will are all hard workers.

    Ms Goodey Franklin Road

  • Our local office manager, Sharon Wareham was warm and friendly and kept us up to date at all times.

    Mr Hope The Brow

  • A completely painless experience from start to finish. Thank you.

    Mr Woolven & Mrs Bessant-Woolven Lewes Road

  • Very comprehensive and professional. Nice people to work with and highly recommended. 

    Mr Alderton Ladysmith Road

  • All agents at Maslen were extremely helpful and polite from the beginning to the completion of sale. 

    Mr Johnson Fiveways

  • The sale was dealt with swiftly, professionally and successfully. Thank you Maslen!

    Mrs Lincoln Hove

  • Extremely efficient. Nick and Paula are excellent. The weekly phone calls were much appreciated. 

    Ms Gray Lewes Road

  • As always, an excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Field Lewes Road

  • A really good experience.

    Mr Tibble Lewes Road

  • Many thanks to Nick. It was an easy process thanks to you! I'm extremely satisfied with how the sale went, great job.

    Ms Mayanobe Aymer Road

  • Very professional service. Thank you!

    Miss New & Mr Jackson Buller Road

  • Excellent service from the Lewes Road branch. Martin Timms secured a quick sale & at a good price & Paula Carter worked really hard to secure...

    Ms Schulte Bear Road

  • Very happy with the service we got from you guys, everyone we dealt with was extremely friendly, professional and helpful. Thanks!

    Mr Brown Titian Road

  • Very impressed with all dealings with Maslen. Paula Carter was in particular very knowledgeable and helpful. 

    Mr McBlane Hove

  • Sharon and her team could not have done more in what was a difficult sale. 

    Ms Daly Woodingdean

  • Excellent Service from start to finish.

    Mr T Mole Cromwell Road

  • From start to finish the sale was dealt with in a thoroughly professional manner.  

    Mr Gibbs Lewes Road

  • Paul was absolutely brilliant. 

    Mrs Tasker Fiveways

  • Hugely impressed with Ben & his team.

    Mrs Mead Upper Lewes Road

  • Maslens as a whole were really friendly and professional. I have to thank and congratulate Paula Carter for being superb at her job and exceeding m...

    Ms Warren Hove

  • All very professional, kept updated throughout. Very pleased - Would recommend. 

    Mrs Hammond Hove

  • Sold within 2 weeks for asking price "excellent!"

    Mr Grundy Bishops Road

  • Paula was fabulous and we felt really informed and supported. 

    Mr & Mrs Walker Lewes Road

  • Very pleased with the experience. I would definitely recommend you and use you again.

    Ms D Edmonds Horton Road

  • Very, very happy we chose you, felt right from the start! Thank you!

    Miss Blackadder Coniston Court, Holland Road

  • Sharon was excellent - kept us well informed, thank you so much!

    Ms Waters Cowley Drive

  • Paula's role was brilliant. Having someone office based and available was so appreciated and her promptness an impressive service - every Estate Agent...

    Ms Wynn-Jones Baxter Street

  • Paula was absolutely amazing!

    Mr & Mrs MacKay Lewes Road

  • I have bought and sold 7 properties, and this was the best experience of an estate agents services I have found.

    Mrs Shepherd Hertford Road

  • Thank you. We found all the staff knowledgeable and really pleasant to deal with. 

    Ms Ansloos Lewes Road

  • Paul Wilkinson was extremely helpful and efficient. The only problem was the vendors solicitor and Paul warned me of this. A good transaction all r...

    Mr Lavender Fiveways

  • Great service, always polite and friendly. Excellent contact and info all the way.

    Mr Wells Bishops Road

  • Excellent customer service throughout. I will definitely recommend you, and use you again. Thank you.

    Ms Longley Kingsbury Street

  • Thanks David, all very professional.

    Mrs Flowers Foxdown Road

  • Ben and Paula were calm and reassuring throughout a very difficult process!

    Ms Easterbrook Bear Road

  • I was new to the area and viewed a lot of properties with a lot of different agents. Maslens were by far the best I came in contact with, so when i...

    Mr & Mrs Heer Lewes Road

  • The whole team were very committed from start to finish.

    Mr Pilgrim Lewes Road

  • Already recommended you! Thank you.

    Mr Edwards The Ridgway

  • It was an amazing experience, everyone involved were fantastic. 

    Mr & Mrs Knight Woodingdean

  • You were amazingly helpful throughout - a real pillar of strength with a very difficult sale.

    Mrs Parkin Fiveways

  • Best Agents in Brighton.

    Mrs Field Tarner Road

  • Compared to your rivals, your service was excellent

    Ms McGrigor Milner Road

  • Thank you Maslens, you were all excellent!

    Miss Jasper Taunton Road

  • Brilliant. Well done to Sharon and the Woodingdean team.

    Ms Curtis The Ridgway

  • We were very pleased with services provided by the Fiveways office.

    Mr & Mrs Sawyer Shaftesbury Road

  • We were delighted with the service received from all the staff with whom we had contact,

    Dr Crichton The Ridgway

  • Sharon, Harvey and James were all excellent - very professional. Totally opposite to what I have experienced with other agents. Maslen have restore...

    Ms Lyons Woodingdean

  • Outstanding service from Sharon. James is an asset to Maslens & Harvey was so helpful and polite.

    Ms Cianchetta Selhurst Road

  • Very pleased with the service. Many thanks to Sharon and the boys!

    Mr Flynn Woodingdean

  • Service exceeded my expectations overall at all stages of the process - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you. Thanks. 

    Ms Greene Lewes Road

  • Very thorough & very informative.

    Mr Michnowicz Waldegrave Road

  • Paula is amazing!

    Ms Aspnall Gladstone Place

  • A good team at Woodingdean helped us through a stressful time.

    Mr & Mrs Penton Sycamore Close

  • Harvey was helpful and easily reachable at the beginning of the process and Sharon kept us informed and was always happy to help.

    Ms Murch & Ms Mapa Ticehurst Road

  • Graham Griffin provided us, and continues to provide us, will all-round excellent advice. We trust his knowledge and expertise.

    Mr Blackmore & Ms O'Sullivan Financial Services

  • Very good service and communication. Paula was excellent.

    Mr & Mrs Scarboro 1 Pevensey Road

  • The team worked very hard over a long period to ensure my sale went through - excellent service!

    Mr Patrick Gladstone Terrace

  • Cannot express our appreciation enough of all the efforts made by the Woodingdean team - they were fantastic.

    Mr John Mogridge Woodingdean

  • Thanks for an excellent service. 

    Mr King Hove

  • First class service from a first class team.

    Mr & Mrs English The Ridgway

  • Exceptional service throughout the process - should we decide to sell in the future we wouldn't hesitate to use your agency. You're a cut above the...

    Ms Windels & Mr Barham Fiveways

  • Nick and Paula are total stars! They were incredibly supportive and present throughout. Thank you!

    Miss O'Haire Hove

  • Superb service as usual, I would always recommend you.

    Ms S Hike Blackthorn Close

  • Thank you for everything!

    Ms Tucker Willow Close

  • We were very impressed with the Nick from start to finish. 

    Mr & Mrs Smith Lewes Road

  • Good team. Straightforward. No nonsense.

    Mr Standing Newmarket Road

  • Very impressed with the efficient and friendly service, the staff were a pleasure to deal with. 

    Mr & Mrs Gill Lewes Road

  • First class service. Friendly and professional.

    Mr Thorne The Avenue

  • The whole team were excellent, each one of them felt like family. Sharon had a lot of sorting to do at times but coped very well, a true profession...

    Mr Vernon Woodingdean

  • I would recommend Maslen to anyone. 

    Mrs Tripp Woodingdean

  • It was a long, drawn out process that the people at Maslen helped me through, without the impression that it was a chore. So extremely professional...

    Mr McLagan Lewes Road

  • Sharon was excellent, she kept us informed at all stages and was a really calming objective influence in the process.

    Ms Frederick Channel View Road

  • I found the service to be courteous, friendly and efficient.

    Mr Upton Buller Road

  • Thank you Paul and Archie, you gave an excellent service, as well as Kelly. I look forward to working with you again. 

    Mr White Fiveways

  • Fantastic service. By far the best agents we have ever used, I cannot recommend you highly enough.

    Mr Field Mafeking Road

  • Excellent service as always

    Mr Field Ringmer Road

  • Excellent communication and advice throughout. It felt very reassuring to be in good hands.

    Mrs Brooker Buller Road

  • Very impressed with the service. Sharon Wareham works tirelessly, very professionally and is always there for advice. 

    Miss Matthews Kipling Avenue

  • Best Estate Agents ever experienced - professional, approachable, competent and exemplary. 

    Mr & Mrs Guest Riley Road

  • An efficient, professional and friendly service. Helpful and a pleasure to do business with.

    Mr Beddington Brading Road

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