Want to See the Off-Market Instructions and the Best Value Quick Movers? Go Straight to the Source

It’s a peculiar market, the Gibraltar property market...

It’s a relatively small market, relationships matter, and the way property changes hands here can be quite different from what buyers might be used to elsewhere.

And yet, we regularly see buyers doing something that, on the face of it, seems perfectly logical - but could actually be putting them at a disadvantage.

They see a property they like advertised by an estate agent, but instead of contacting the agent marketing it, they call the agent they normally deal with and ask them to arrange the viewing.

Perhaps that agent sold them their last property.  Maybe they’ve known them for years.  Or perhaps they simply feel more comfortable dealing with someone they know.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with that.

But the buyers who tend to put themselves in the strongest position - particularly when they're looking for a good deal, a quick mover or something that hasn't even reached the market yet - understand something very important:

In Gibraltar property, it pays to go straight to the source.

The clever buyers don't necessarily have the biggest budgets.

They aren't always the people who make the highest offers.

What they do have is good information, good relationships and good timing.

They know which agents have the instructions.  They know who is bringing new properties to market.  They make sure the right agents know exactly what they're looking for, and they don't wait for an opportunity to appear on a property portal before making themselves known.

Because in a market as small as Gibraltar, some of the best opportunities can come and go remarkably quickly.

Sometimes, by the time a property appears online, the people who were already on the agent's radar have seen it, viewed it and made an offer.

That doesn't mean you need to register with every agent in Gibraltar or spend your weekends chasing every property that comes onto the market.

It simply means that if you are serious about buying, you need to understand how the market actually works.

And one of the biggest mistakes buyers can make is putting another agent between themselves and the Estate Agent that actually has the instruction.

The selling agent has the relationship

The selling agent is the person who has been instructed by the seller.

They know the property.  They know the seller.  They understand the asking price, the circumstances surrounding the sale, the seller's expectations and, importantly, what else may be coming onto the market.

That last point matters enormously.

Estate agency isn't simply about putting properties onto websites.

A huge amount of activity happens before a property ever appears on PropertyGibraltar, PrimeLocation, Zoopla, Idealista or an agent's own website.

Agents are constantly speaking to homeowners who are considering moving.  They have properties being prepared for launch.  They have instructions that haven't gone live yet.  And they have buyers registered and actively looking.

When a particularly good property comes in - especially one an agent believes will attract significant interest - their database of active buyers is often the first place they look.

If you're registered with that agent and they know exactly what you're looking for, you could be among the first people they contact.

If you're not, someone else may get there first.

Off-market properties are particularly important

Some of the most interesting opportunities never make it onto the major property portals.

A seller may want to test the market quietly.  They may not want lots of people through the door.  They might be waiting for photography, a valuation or a suitable launch date.

Or the agent may already have a buyer in mind who could be a perfect fit.

These opportunities can move very quickly.

If you're registered with the selling agent and they know what you're looking for, you have a chance of hearing about those properties when they become available.

If you're not registered, you don't.

And that's one of the biggest advantages of dealing directly with the agent who actually has the instruction.

Why another agent may not show you everything

There is another practical consideration.

If Agent A is selling a property and you ask Agent B to introduce you to it, there may need to be an arrangement between the two agents regarding fees.

That can complicate things.

An agent who has sourced and instructed the property has little reason to automatically share their fee with another agent when they already have a database of buyers they can contact directly.

This is particularly relevant when they already have a buyer on their books who is ready, willing and able to proceed.

The selling agent can deal directly with that buyer and retain the full instruction.

So while your chosen agent may be perfectly capable of arranging a viewing, you should understand that you may not necessarily be putting yourself in exactly the same position as a buyer who has gone directly to the source.

And that's the key distinction.

You're not just looking for houses. You're looking for information.

Your 'buying' agent will naturally show you their own opportunities

This isn't necessarily cynical.  It's business.

If you register with an estate agent, they are naturally going to show you properties they are instructed to sell.

If they have three suitable houses on their books and another agent has one, they're likely to start with the three they can sell themselves.

They may also tell you that another property you've mentioned - that's listed with a different agent - has already gone under offer, or is no longer available.

That information may be completely accurate.  But it may be a way of pushing you onto one of their own.

The point is that you're receiving information through someone who has a commercial interest in you NOT buying it, rather than directly from the agent actually handling the sale.

And every additional layer between you and the source creates the potential for information to be delayed, filtered or incomplete.

If you see it online, call the agent advertising it

This is perhaps the simplest piece of advice we can give buyers.

See something you like online?  Pick up the phone and call the agent advertising it.

Even if you've never dealt with them before.

Even if you've sold with another estate agent.

Even if you think your 'usual' agent might be annoyed.

Tell the selling agent exactly what you're looking for.

Explain your position.  Tell them whether you have a property to sell, whether you're chain-free, whether you have finance agreed and how quickly you can move.

Most importantly, get yourself registered.

You want your details sitting on their database so that when something suitable comes in tomorrow, next week or next month, they have a reason to call you.

You don't want to discover three weeks later that the perfect property was quietly offered to a handful of buyers before it ever reached the portals.

Loyalty is admirable. But it doesn't always pay in business.

There is nothing wrong with having a favourite estate agent.

A good agent can be invaluable, and relationships matter.

But buying a house is a major financial transaction.

Your objective should be to find the right property at the right price and on the right terms - not to please an agent simply because you've known them for years.

Think about car insurance.

If you've been insured with the same company for ten years and another insurer offers you substantially better cover for less money, would you really refuse to move because you've been loyal?

Probably not.

Property should be approached with the same commercial common sense.

Loyalty is personal. Buying property is business.

Build relationships with more than one agent

There is nothing wrong with registering with several estate agents.

In fact, if you're serious about buying, it can be one of the most useful things you do.

Tell agents precisely what you're looking for.  Give them your budget, preferred areas, property type and timescale.  Keep them updated if your circumstances change.

Then, when something suitable comes in, you're already on their radar.

You can still have a preferred agent.  You can still trust and value a particular relationship.

But don't allow that relationship to prevent you from seeing what else is available.

In Gibraltar's relatively small property market, knowledge can be just as valuable as money.

Knowing that a property is coming.  Knowing who is selling it.  Knowing how motivated the seller is.  Knowing whether there is competition.  Knowing what else the agent has coming up.

Those things can all make a difference.

The bottom line

The best opportunities aren't always the ones that are advertised.

And the properties that do get advertised can sometimes move very quickly.

The selling agent has the instruction, the seller relationship, the information and often advance knowledge of what is coming next.

So if you see a property you like advertised by an agent, go directly to that agent.

Register with them.  Tell them exactly what you want.  Make sure they understand your position.

And if you're looking for something specific, don't simply wait for it to appear online.

Get on the radar of the agents who are actually active in that part of the market.

Because if you're serious about buying, you don't want to hear about the right property after somebody else has already bought it.

Don't put another agent between you and the source.

Go straight to the source.