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Choosing Your Real Estate Agent

Choosing a real estate agent to sell your home can be a stressful experience. It is a very important choice because the right agent can achieve a better price in a shorter period minimising the stress of being on the market and maximising your tax free dollars!

Selecting the best agent is vital for a successful property sale. Research by Core Logic has identified the key behaviours that make great agents stand out.

Those agents demonstrated four key traits:

  • Communicated clearly and understood the vendor’s heart and head

  • Followed up promptly and did what they said they would

  • Honest and transparent about the sale process, and

  • Top negotiation skills.

Follow these steps to choose your real estate agent:

  1. Create a short list. The survey found 36 per cent of sellers used agents recommended by friends or family.

  2. Check online to see who is selling homes like yours in your suburb.

  3. Check agents’ online profile Research on realestate.com.au, LinkedIn, Facebook and the agency’s website. Details of record sales and helpful information are a good indicator of success.

  4. Check the independent website “rate my agent” for your suburb or surrounding. Make sure you check on “most recommended” as well as the other criteria as this shows that these agents past sellers were so pleased with the service that they are happy to recommend them.

  5. See agents in action. Find out when those on your list are holding an open for inspection and run your potential agents through an audition. Check how the agent presents the home. Are they genuinely interested in you? Are there two agents there one to greet you and take details and another to be in the home to answer queries and point out features? Note if an agent does not run open homes take them off your list, the world has moved on and buyers like to do their own research and inspect at an advertised open home rather than make an appointment.

  6. Does the agent follow up? Do they phone you to discuss your interest? Good agents follow up every sales lead.

  7. Very importantly is the agent fully licenced? Many agents operate on a sales certificate but the best agents are much more qualified and operate on a full real estate licence. (You wouldn’t let an apprentice builder build your home would you?)

Interview your agent. Interview those who remain on your shortlist to understand:

  1. The agents who are professional and transparent.

  2. Those who will do what they say they will do.

  3. Those who are engaging, friendly and interested in you.

  4. Their marketing, presentation and negotiation styles, and

  5. An estimate of your home’s value.

Good agents won’t promise you a price. They will explain how their sales and marketing approach offers you the opportunity of achieving the best price in the current market.

“The best price is not achieved by the promise of the best price but rather the best process”.