10 great botanical gardens around the world: readers’ tips

From the tropics to the Arctic Circle, these gardens are full of colour, wildlife, scents, and, sometimes, spectacular views and great cafes, too

The 250-hectare Arid Lands Botanical Garden on the coast in Port Augusta (three hours’ drive north of Adelaide) made for a wonderful visit. Not only is it free of charge, there is a cafe serving great fresh food and some fantastic Australian wine, too. The gardens are a joy to wander, with plenty of bird life, amphibians and lizards, and ideas on how to make a colourful garden using as little water as possible. There are six specialist gardens, views to the Flinders Range and grey mangroves, emu and turkey bushes plus very rare plants. It’s amazing how beautiful the edge of the outback can be.
• Free, aalbg.sa.gov.au
Anne Medcalf

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How many negotiators does it take to sell your house?

A lady called me this week, unable to sell her lovely rural house in Shropshire.  I asked her about her agent, and she explained that she was frustrated at having to chase them to find out feedback from viewings, and that when she called it was difficult to get hold of anyone on the phone.

“Have you actually been into the office?” I asked her.

“Oh yes,” she assured me.  “It’s the only way I can speak to anyone sometimes!”

I asked her how many key members of staff the agent had; in other words, how many were actually customer-facing and not just administration staff.  She was very sure in her answer – three, including the manager.

I checked the agent’s profile online: they currently had 158 properties listed.  That equals 53 properties for each negotiator if the manager is included, and a whopping 79 properties each if in fact the manager isn’t involved in viewings and negotiating.

So how many properties can each negotiator look after effectively, making sure they handle their clients’ viewings successfully, keep in contact regularly and generally stay focused on selling their client’s property?  Well, I would suggest no more than 25.  In an average week, this would allow for around an hour per client, plus time for travel, meetings, putting together brochures, and all the other things that agents do (some of which are a mystery to us all).   That’s plenty, I think.  How on earth can they give good service when they are only allocating around half an hour at best, per client per week?!

How many properties does your agent currently have listed on Rightmove? How many actively selling members of staff are there?  If you divide the former by the latter and come up with a figure of more than 25, it may be time for a rethink.  To sell a house effectively and for the price you want in a difficult market like this, you need attention, focus and dedication from your agent, and he just can’t give you all three in a measly half an hour or less per week.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch

 

What to read next: Putting all your eggs in one basket

What to do next:  Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

The post How many negotiators does it take to sell your house? appeared first on Home Truths.

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How many negotiators does it take to sell your house?

A lady called me this week, unable to sell her lovely rural house in Shropshire.  I asked her about her agent, and she explained that she was frustrated at having to chase them to find out feedback from viewings, and that when she called it was difficult to get hold of anyone on the phone.

“Have you actually been into the office?” I asked her.

“Oh yes,” she assured me.  “It’s the only way I can speak to anyone sometimes!”

I asked her how many key members of staff the agent had; in other words, how many were actually customer-facing and not just administration staff.  She was very sure in her answer – three, including the manager.

I checked the agent’s profile online: they currently had 158 properties listed.  That equals 53 properties for each negotiator if the manager is included, and a whopping 79 properties each if in fact the manager isn’t involved in viewings and negotiating.

So how many properties can each negotiator look after effectively, making sure they handle their clients’ viewings successfully, keep in contact regularly and generally stay focused on selling their client’s property?  Well, I would suggest no more than 25.  In an average week, this would allow for around an hour per client, plus time for travel, meetings, putting together brochures, and all the other things that agents do (some of which are a mystery to us all).   That’s plenty, I think.  How on earth can they give good service when they are only allocating around half an hour at best, per client per week?!

How many properties does your agent currently have listed on Rightmove? How many actively selling members of staff are there?  If you divide the former by the latter and come up with a figure of more than 25, it may be time for a rethink.  To sell a house effectively and for the price you want in a difficult market like this, you need attention, focus and dedication from your agent, and he just can’t give you all three in a measly half an hour or less per week.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch

 

What to read next: Putting all your eggs in one basket

What to do next:  Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

The post How many negotiators does it take to sell your house? appeared first on Home Truths.

from Home Truths https://ift.tt/2nIRHLu
via IFTTT

How many negotiators does it take to sell your house?

A lady called me this week, unable to sell her lovely rural house in Shropshire.  I asked her about her agent, and she explained that she was frustrated at having to chase them to find out feedback from viewings, and that when she called it was difficult to get hold of anyone on the phone.

“Have you actually been into the office?” I asked her.

“Oh yes,” she assured me.  “It’s the only way I can speak to anyone sometimes!”

I asked her how many key members of staff the agent had; in other words, how many were actually customer-facing and not just administration staff.  She was very sure in her answer – three, including the manager.

I checked the agent’s profile online: they currently had 158 properties listed.  That equals 53 properties for each negotiator if the manager is included, and a whopping 79 properties each if in fact the manager isn’t involved in viewings and negotiating.

So how many properties can each negotiator look after effectively, making sure they handle their clients’ viewings successfully, keep in contact regularly and generally stay focused on selling their client’s property?  Well, I would suggest no more than 25.  In an average week, this would allow for around an hour per client, plus time for travel, meetings, putting together brochures, and all the other things that agents do (some of which are a mystery to us all).   That’s plenty, I think.  How on earth can they give good service when they are only allocating around half an hour at best, per client per week?!

How many properties does your agent currently have listed on Rightmove? How many actively selling members of staff are there?  If you divide the former by the latter and come up with a figure of more than 25, it may be time for a rethink.  To sell a house effectively and for the price you want in a difficult market like this, you need attention, focus and dedication from your agent, and he just can’t give you all three in a measly half an hour or less per week.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch

 

What to read next: Putting all your eggs in one basket

What to do next:  Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

The post How many negotiators does it take to sell your house? appeared first on Home Truths.

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Five tips to help you feel at home in a new property https://t.co/Z1VOhcslZH #conveymove #estateagentsnottingham https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM

Five tips to help you feel at home in a new property https://t.co/Z1VOhcslZH #conveymove #estateagentsnottingham https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1029762276298043398)

Five tips to help you feel at home in a new property Nottingham Estate Agents

You have found and bought the perfect property and the moving lorry has delivered all your furniture and goods. Now it’s time to turn your new house into a home. Here are five tips to get you through the labour-intensive process a little easier. RE/MAX offers its advice: Delegate and divide the work If you have friends and […]

The post Five tips to help you feel at home in a new property appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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London property slump puts brake on UK house price growth https://t.co/QvWHK5NnHE Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM

London property slump puts brake on UK house price growth https://t.co/QvWHK5NnHE Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1029685497931739136)