Top 3 reasons why customers dislike their property agents

Lack of ethics and conduct is on the list.

According to a statement, the Council for Estate Agencies released the findings of its first Public Perception Survey on the real estate agency industry.

Consumers were found to be satisfied with their salespersons and were generally aware of the key industry practices/regulations. The industry was also supportive of the initiatives implemented by CEA to enhance professionalism in the sector.

The objective of the survey was to determine the level of awareness and satisfaction among consumers towards the real estate agency industry. The findings will set the baseline for CEA to measure the progress of the industry in delivering professional service to consumers.

Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a total of 2,260 consumers and potential consumers between March and July 2012 as part of this exercise. The key findings are as follows:  

Consumer satisfaction
 Eight out of 10 consumers were satisfied with the conduct and services provided by their salespersons.
 Seven out of 10 consumers planned to recommend their salespersons to others.
 More resale consumers (87%) were satisfied with their salespersons compared to rental consumers (75%).

 Consumers were most satisfied with their salespersons in the area of Service Excellence (see Annex A), specifically:
(a) Salesperson provides a copy of all signed documents
(b) Salesperson is contactable and responsive to my queries
(c) Salesperson is courteous to me at all times.

 Consumers were least satisfied with salespersons in the following three areas:
(a) Salesperson provides advice on financial matters related to the transaction (under Knowledge/Expertise)
(b) Salesperson provides accurate and up-to-date information related to the property and the property market (under Knowledge/Expertise)
(c) Salesperson is transparent and informs me of all developments or issues related to his/her transaction in a timely manner (under Ethics/Conduct)