Choosing the right agent to sell your home

Selecting the right agent to sell your home is a crucial piece of the puzzle to ensure that you are making informed decisions in the property sale process and in the end, comfortable with the outcome of the sale.

There is no one answer to the best agent, as everyone’s approach to selling their property will be different. There are some key things that you might like to consider when choosing the right agent for you.

Research the options

In finding an agent that you can align your property sale with, it is important to research the options that are available, usually in your local area, from the pool of agents that are available.

You might like to look at who amongst the pool is a local agent and has local knowledge of the area and the market that you are selling your home. If they are familiar with the local area and market, then they are likely to have more knowledge of what prospective buyers look for and the best ways to present your property for sale.

Asking for recommendations from friends, family and colleagues is also a good option to widen the prospective agents that you might like to employ and make a shortlist of those who you feel would be best suited.

Ask as many questions as you need to

A good agent while knowing the local area, should also have a great track record of their past and recent sales and listings. Ask questions like, what are the average days on market for your listings, or what is your auction clearance rate? Also test their knowledge of the local market and facilities like school catchments, amenities and lifestyle options that would draw prospective buyers.

Asking for examples of their track record may also help to make your decision and they should be able to provide case studies of recent sales or situations that may be like yours and how they managed the sale to gain a positive outcome for the vendor.

Visit their open homes

When you have a shortlist of potential agents that you would like to choose from, before bringing them in to appraise your home and present what they can offer, visit some of their open homes to get a feel for how they operate.

Walking through a live open of another property that may be like yours will give you an opportunity to view how they may present your home if they were to take care of the sale and how they will treat prospective buyers through the sales process.

Set guidelines and ensure that you are secure

When you make the decision to sell, and the paperwork is signed, a good agent will have a sound strategy throughout the campaign and a contingency plan for each step along the sale. They should communicate with you throughout the whole process until the end and beyond.

Make sure that you are also communicating any expectations that you have of the sale, any special conditions and set guidelines in the beginning to avoid possible confusion down the track. This will also help you to feel secure in your decision throughout the sale.