Advice.. picking the right real estate agent to sell.. do's and donts.. :)

I found the pointers in Steve’s course particularly helpful, especially the interview questions. It was down to two agents, one of whom was very persistent, but also very professional, however his market estimation was about $20k below where I felt it should be after reviewing RPData recent sales.

The other stood our because he immediately brought to my attention some potential buyer objections that the others failed to mention or had to be prompted to volunteer. I haven;t seen the property for some time, but I was impressed by his attention to detail.

The interview questions and their responses really helped me settle my mind on which agent to go with. The winning agent still had some weaknesses, but I can work with those by vetting advertising copy and so on.

Hi Krisdavant
In absence of having family or friends who have used and can recommend an agent, I would start with your local paper to see which agency has a presence in your suburb.
You want a company who sells plenty in your area so they can give you a true indication of price, and buyer expectations.
DO ask these questions-
1-What similar properties have you sold and what price did you get for them? They should bring a comparative sales report when meeting with you to back up their recommendations.
2-As an agent, what renovations (if any) would you recommend to yield the best price or quickest sale on my property?
3-What fees do you charge? What advertising package would you recommend for my property?
4-What strategy would you recommend for my property? Auction? Expressions of Interest? Opens, no opens?
5-Who do you think will buy my property? An investor or owner occupier? How will the strategy change to suit this potential buyer?

DONT choose the agent who recommends the highest sale price! Agents often inflate your expectations, there are several in my area notorious for this, they list a property at a high price, then pressure you within a week or 2 to drop the price because “the market wont bare the asking price”.

Now, don’t overcomplicate things, call 3 agents and organise a time to meet with you, give them each an hour of your time.
How is their phone manner or their office receptionist manner? Remember, your purchaser will make contact with these numbers, are they friendly, and do they get back to you when they say?
All agents on the first meeting will be on their best behaviour, but, how do they treat you, do they fill you with confidence and treat you with respect, do they pat your dog or just sneer at it?
At the end, its how you feel about the person you are dealing with.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by  Danb.