Those who sneer at the For Sale/Letting Board and dismiss it as ‘prehistoric’ or think of it as an agent’s conspicuous self-aggrandisement, are guilty of a gross misunderstanding says Trevor Abrahmsohn (pictured) of luxury London estate agency Glentree.

Abrahmsohn insists, though, that he is no Luddite, believing in the powers of the digital portals, social media and videos, but says that sometimes we are all guilty of over-thinking a problem when the simple solution may be staring us in the face.

“At least a third of the market is comprised of latent purchasers/tenants. These could be the most enthusiastic buyers/tenants of a property, if they were actually on a mailing list, or took notice of social media, which may not be the case.

Bricks ‘n’ mortar enzymes start flowing in profusion once they see a For Sale/Letting board

“However, their ‘bricks ‘n’ mortar enzymes start flowing in profusion once they see a For Sale/Letting Board whilst on their travels, which is the only way an estate agent can get hold of this enquiry.”

Abrahmsohn points out that they do not, as some complain, violate people’s privacy, as ‘rubber-neckers’ can already see everything on the portals. And a For Sale board can also help weed out any casual sellers who put their properties on the market without any real intention of going through with it, because they never use them.

Release the power of the board

He says: “What else gives such good value for £20 these days? For the price of an estate agent’s weekly hair-gel bill, a For Sale/Letting Board allows you to capture a part of the market that would ordinarily be out of reach, separates the clowns from the genuine vendors and keeps everything on track when a sale has been agreed.

“All in all, a staggering list of benefits for some bits of wood and paint which the client doesn’t even pay for.”

So, he advises agents that if they really want to sell, they shouldn’t complain the market is slow but should instead ‘release the power of the board’.