So, you’re ready to go on this big adventure of selling your home?
When choosing the right agent that can journey with you through the twists and turns of legal documents, dealing with buyers, sellers and their real estate agents, it can be overwhelming.
We’ve come up five ways to make sure the agent you choose is the right fit for you and your personal needs.
- Points for personality: Matching your personality to that of a potential agent is a key component in selecting someone you’re going to be comfortable working with during the course of the sale process and most importantly who will guide you in one of the biggest and most important financial dealings in your life. You need to feel like you can trust them and the advice that they are giving you.
- Reputation is everything: You can tell a lot about an agent by taking a look at their experience and past work. Everything from their recent sales and average days on market to the reviews they receive online can give a glimpse into their reputation and their knowledge of local markets. In addition to asking agents these questions, do your own research. These days it’s as easy as a Google search or looking up the agent’s profile on https://reiwa.com.au/agent-finder/ plus their client’s reviews on https://www.ratemyagent.com.au or similar sites validates the information an agent gives you can help reassure they’re trustworthy.
- Do some stalking: Find out where your potential new agent is having their home opens, go along and see how they work and how they interact with potential buyers. Does the agent have a PA? What is their role in the sale of your home? These are all questions that you can ask as part of your due diligence.
- Local market knowledge: Seek out an agent that specifies in the kind of property that you are selling. Whether it be a single storey family home in the suburbs, a double storey coastal home, an acreage in the hills, a townhouse in the inner city or an apartment or commercial building in the CBD, there are agents who are very knowledgeable in specific areas that can be the right choice for your home.
- Compare commission fees: Knowing how the agent’s fees get factored into the sale of your home is important. Some of the ways they do it are;
- Higher commissions which include some or all advertising
- Guaranteeing the sale by not getting paid a cent if there’s no sale
- Requiring signage and advertising costs no matter whether the property sells or not
- Flat fees
- Tiered commissions
- Any mix of the above balancing out commission and upfront costs on advertising and signage
Getting the best agreement tends to mean avoiding upfront costs. Of the many ways to pay agents, paying anything upfront makes the least sense. Your agent is there to make money for you, so if you’re not getting paid, neither should they. For that reason, agents who guarantee the sale with ‘No sale, no fee’ clauses are a sign of a good partner.
If average agent commissions are largely determined by your property’s location, how should you choose your agent? For any given area, it’ll come down to each individual agent’s skills and experience.
Peard Real Estate’s strength lies within our people and our unwavering attitude to servicing our clients to the highest degree. Every Peard Sales Associate is a consummate professional with in-depth area knowledge and extensive training behind them. When you enlist the service of one of our experts, you can be confident that you are in the safest of hands. We know that selling your home is likely to be one of the most important transactions you will make, so it’s our goal to ensure the experience is nothing but positive.
Get in touch with your local Peard Real Estate office today if you have any questions about your real estate goals.