Buying a Home to Live in… Property Consultancy or a Solo Adventure?

Locally many people are well informed about property, even if you ask the man in the street, he could most probably give you a piece of information or some sort of advice.

Yet, just as in all walks of life, even in real estate one finds all sorts of people… from the genuine to the less genuine, from the professional to the amateur, from the experienced to the inexperienced and so on.

I recall my first days when starting to work in real estate and to my surprise after just a week I had been issued a set of business cards with my name and the title ‘Property Consultant’. Upon seeing the pack I recall asking the person concerned, how could it be that I’m going to present myself to people as a consultant when, to say the least, I did not even receive any form of training and did not even know the basics of property, such as the difference in the types, or the meaning of the word ground rent!

I remember asking, if we could at least write the words ‘trainee’ before consultant for fairness sake, just to make people aware of reality. His reply was to just go out and learn from experience and that’s what happened through trial and error. After some time I was lucky enough to meet Simon De Bono from Simon Estates who offered a professional training package and from then on, luckily things took another shape. Just as explained above, one finds various brokers ‘sensara’or agents that do not have the experience or knowledge to deserve the title of a ‘Property Consultant’ so my piece of advice is to choose your advisors carefully.

The point is that sometimes it might be profitable to employ a reputable Property Consultant, especially if you are lucky enough to find an honest, genuine and experienced one. You might be saving thousands of Euros in the long run, thanks to his wise advice. If he’s also a good negotiator, you could save more than the commission paid in price reductions, thanks to his negotiating skills.

Wilfrid Buttigieg

Director AWBG Ltd. www.awbgltd.com

Property Consultant - Simonestates Naxxar Ltd.

Contact Number: 00356 79058001