Choosing the best real estate sales agent for you and your home.

Choosing the right sales agent for you, is an important decision, choosing the wrong agent could result in a lower sale price, or a long period of time on the market, or even no sale. After all, most home owners want to achieve the highest possible price in the shortest possible time with the least hassle, as they should, since your home is generally your most valuable asset. Choosing the best agent can be a daunting task, especially since Real Estate agents often seem a bit… well full of …. Unfortunately, our industry does have a less than perfect reputation, but really its just like every industry there are many fantastic professional Real Estate Sales Agents that do the right thing and genuinely want to help their clients, and then like many things in life there are a small few who wreck it for the rest. Combine this with the fact that selling a property is something most people only do every 7 to 10 years. Choosing the best Real Estate Sales Agent can easily become a daunting task. To help make this important decision easier below is a list of questions all sellers should be asking any potential Real Estate Sales Agent.

Questions to Ask YOUR Real Estate Sales Agent

• How many listings does the agent have? The less listings the more personal service and attention you and your property will receive.
• What is the agent's average number of days on market before a property is sold? The lower the average days on market the more proactive the agent is.
• Will the agent be honest and tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear? You have some big decisions ahead of you and it's vital you are making these decisions on the correct information.
• What is the ‘get it sold’ this weekend price? If the agent has told you to list for a higher price, enquire further about their plan to bridge the gap between these prices.
• What's the level of buyer interest I should expect per week? A good agent will be able to clearly outline the number of internet hits, inquiries, and inspections expected, and use these numbers as a benchmark to calculate if your campaign is on track or if changes need to be made.
• Do you track how buyers find out about my property? If yes, your agent has a level of understand of marketing and can ensure marketing is effective.  
• What is your marketing plan of attack? A good plan of attack will show if an agent is prepared, going to be proactive, and has a good idea of the demographic of the likely buyer.
• How will I know if the marketing is working? This is similar to the previous questions about the level of buyer interest expected.
• How are you going to make my property stand out from others? Can the agent demonstrate that they appreciate the selling points of the property.  
• How many open homes will you do? As a seller, you need an agent that is going to continue being proactive and give your property lots of attention until it sells, not just the first week.
• Tell me about your open homes - if I was a buyer what could I expect the experience to be like? It is important agents have a system to instill confidence and set price expectations with buyers and are able to move buyers from looking to signing a contract quickly.
• How often will I receive a written report? What ongoing information will you provide me with? The agent's answer will provide good insight to the records they keep on each buyer, and the level of communication and input you the seller can expect.  As a minimum, a seller should get a couple of phone calls or text message (whatever they prefer) and an detailed report every week.
• Do you work with other agencies and agents? If another agent has a buyer, will work with the other agent to show the buyer through, and share the commission.   
• You say your whole team will work together to sell this property, how can I be sure when they have their own listings to prioritise? @ Real Estate agents are all very supportive of each other and work together as a team, they even have a pay structure in place that encourages them to work together.
• What steps do I need to undertake to prepare my home for sale? Does the agent have suggestions to help present your property in its best light.

We hope you find these questions helpful. Please contact our Sales Super Stars to discuss these or any other questions you might have.