** the Pace fees have changeds since this article was originaly published – click here to view current fees **
The new Pace fee structure – your questions answered
You may have seen our latest marketing campaign launching a new, flat fee pricing structure. We have decided to do this for a number of reasons, all of which we feel are positive and will benefit our clients.
Primarily, our aim is to offer significant cost savings for everyone looking to sell, let or have a property managed in the local area.
The new fee structure removes commission based pricing across the board and offers landlords, sellers and leaseholders flat fee payment packages This innovative pricing model offers the benefits associated with online estate agencies, namely very low costs, coupled with the personal service of the traditional high street branches. It also ensures complete transparency of costs with no hidden charges.
Not all agents are following the rules…
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 made it a legal requirement for all lettings agents in England to display details of all fees and charges on websites and in offices from 27 May 2015. We know this is not happening fully in Southend and some agents are flouting the rules. Consequently, we have consolidated our pricing structure in order to offer transparency, consumer choice and positively differentiate ourselves from other agents. We hope you will agree this is a positive step.
Pace is able to offer lower prices than other agents without affecting the service we give to you because we have fully embraced the latest technologies and streamlined all of our processes.
Furthermore, our new pricing structure is particularly innovative for property management. Historically, our service has been much more comprehensive than many other lettings agents because we have the breadth and experience to handle the full range of issues. However, we have learnt lessons from the low cost airline business model and realise not all clients want the full range of services we offer. Therefore, we now have 3 levels of property management offering our clients the option to purchase the individual services they specifically require. The same is available for leaseholders requiring block management services.
For our existing clients, you will be able to switch to our new structure and choose which of the new packages work bests for you when your current contract is due for renewal.
More than just lettings
We have also applied our new pricing model to our sales and block management services. For anyone wishing to sell a property and benefit from our considerable discounts, vendors can opt to “Pay Now”. We still offer the traditional “Pay later” upon completion model if that is your preferred choice, please be aware an admin fee is payable regardless for abortive instructions. Whichever option you choose; you can be sure that we are fully committed to your interests. As licensed members of the National Association of Estate Agents and members of the Property Ombudsman, you have a guarantee that we continue operate under a strict code of conduct which offers peace of mind to members of the public.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to call one of the Pace team on 01702 445600 or come into the office and we will be happy to discuss your particular needs in person.
Marcus James is Lettings Manager at Pace, an independent Southend on Sea Letting Agent. He deals with every aspect of the property letting process, providing expert and candid advice together with tailor-made marketing plans for each property he lists for rental.
Marcus prides himself on ensuring our landlord clients get the best return in the right timeframe for their investments by conducting rental appraisals, letting viewings and oversees the running of the lettings department.
