Estate agents are being urged to fundamentally rethink how they measure the property market after a major new study revealed that the vast majority of movers are effectively “invisible” to the industry for months, or even years, before they ever make contact.
Research from agency group LRG suggests that the standard metrics used to gauge market health are based on lagging indicators. While most agencies count a move only when a client books a valuation, data shows that 40% of people have been contemplating a move for a full year before picking up the phone. A significant 22% of respondents spent more than two years weighing the decision, while only 19% reached out to an agent immediately.
“By the time someone books a valuation, they’re not starting their move; they’re already well into it,” said Kevin Shaw, National Sales Managing Director of LRG. “The questions they most needed answering are the ones they had a year or two ago, when nobody knew they were thinking about it.”
The research highlights a profound disconnect between the industry’s focus on transaction data and the emotional reality of moving. Far from being driven primarily by mortgage rates or economic shifts, 73% of respondents cited personal reasons for initiating a move. Finding the “right” property was the primary trigger for 34%, followed closely by changes in family circumstances (31%) and lifestyle shifts like retirement (30%). In contrast, financial factors—including mortgage rates and market certainty—accounted for only 16% of motivations.
“Rates and taxes may decide when a move happens, but very rarely decide whether it happens,” Shaw added. “Anyone reading this market from transaction figures alone is reading a lagging indicator.”
The study also identified significant barriers to entry that remain unaddressed by traditional agency models. While moving is often viewed as daunting, LRG found that the perception of difficulty is significantly higher among those still “weighing it up” than those who have already completed the process. The total cost of moving remains the biggest deterrent, cited by 54% of respondents, with that figure spiking to 71% for families looking to upsize.
These findings suggest that agents are failing to reach clients during their most critical window of decision-making. For the 31% of respondents who have yet to speak to an agent at all, the research argues that the industry needs to move away from simply quoting fees and instead provide comprehensive, transparent breakdowns of total moving costs. Furthermore, for those struggling to find their next home, the data indicates that agents should be more proactive in bringing properties directly to potential buyers rather than expecting them to navigate the hunt alone.
As the average move now takes a record 216 days from listing to completion, the “thinking time” that precedes the transaction is becoming a vital, yet overlooked, phase of the property cycle. For homeowners who have been in their properties for over two decades, the apprehension is even more pronounced, with stress and emotional attachment acting as major obstacles that agents are currently ill-equipped to manage.
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