By Peter Lane & Partners

In the days before technology invaded the estate agency industry, estate agents kept buyers’ details written on index cards in plastic boxes known in the trade as “hot boxes”.

The cards told the stories of individuals or families and bore the scars of persistent scrutiny and revision. Noted were names, contact details, price range information, aspirations, desires and even dreams.  Why so much detail on the cards? Because good estate agents know you cannot find what someone truly wants unless you have asked them and understood their answer.

Nowadays the computer has long overtaken the “hot box”.  In some ways it is an efficient change, however, in other ways, it depersonalises the processes.  You cannot get much more personal than a home and its occupants.

Strokes on a keyboard, rather than scribbled notes have replaced the “hot box”, but all is not lost.  Because the best estate agents still have “hot boxes”, it’s just that these days they keep them in their heads.  They haven’t needed them much over the past few years, but now they are being pressed back into service as the market slowly starts to change in favour of buyers.

So, when you are looking to sell your home, choose an estate agent that not only has the technology, but also the “hot box” mentality.  Computers can certainly aid the process of selling your home, however, it still requires an experienced estate agent to understand what another human being wants to buy.

For further information regarding our services or an up-to-date market appraisal of your property, please contact Huntingdon office 01480 414800 email: huntingdon@peterlane.co.uk  Kimbolton office 01480 860400 email: kimbolton@peterlane.co.uk