How to choose the right agent to sell your home

I’m looking to sell my property – how do I go about picking the right agent?

When a seller is starting the process of choosing an agent, the agent who is pitching the highest price point is usually of the highest consideration.

However, any agent can promise the world and still underdeliver. How do you know how the agent will deal with potential buyers when they come through your property?

See them in action
To start that vetting process as a property owner, you should go and see them in action.

You can enquire about properties they may have listed already and pretend to be a buyer to see what the level of service and engagement is like from them. You can attend an open home or private inspection and get an idea of how that agent would be acting for you with potential buyers for your property.

Make a checklist:

• Do they follow up?
• What’s their follow-up like?
• How engaging are they?
• Are they trying to engage you with the property?
• Are they good at selling the features of that property?
• Are they engaging you in the buying process?

This can be a crucial first step because on many agent rating sites, you’ll rarely find an agent under 4.8 stars. It’s probably not the best source to go to when vetting agents, because most agents only publish their best reviews. So, getting that first-hand experience is the best way to go.

I’ve decided to sell my property and I have agents pitching – who do I pick and why?
When the time comes to choose an agent, if you don’t already have a relationship with an agent you know and trust, you often invite three agents to pitch.

It’s really important that you look for agents to prove and explain their process to you, as well as prove their ability to extract a buyer in the market place who will pay more than anybody else.

You should decide on the agent who can clearly articulate their process or structure which will enable to highest chance of a buyer purchasing the property for the highest price.

That generally comes by way of creating competition: creating an environment where they have multiple buyers competing against each other to drive the highest price for the property owner.

As the seller – what should you ask for at the listing presentation?

• Ask for a case study. Can the agent provide an example of where they’ve achieved a result that’s better than what the vendor wanted, or a result that has proven to show they’ve obtained the best price for a property?
• Ask for a written vendor report from a previous campaign they’ve run. In this you’ll find the proven structure of communication that you’ll likely get from that agent.
• Testimonials. Good and bad.
• Ask for comparable properties. What properties in the area with a similar criteria to your own have sold recently? Why and how was that price achieved?

Many people trust Trip Advisor – is there a reputable agent review site?
Checking reviews of agents and agencies on google, ratemyagent.com.au and
realestate.com.au can help you validate credentials. At Ray White, we also have a robust customer experience program that relies on a net promoter score (NPS) to rate agents based on their dealings with both buyers and sellers. NPS (Net Promoter Score) is the most and important score to rate agents on. Agents will have this number and it will be scored based on post-campaign surveys with their customers. This will provide a component of integrity and consistency around what customers really think about their experience with the agent. Your agent should be able to take you through their scores, testimonials, and how the scoring system works.