So, you have decided to sell your property. It’s time to move on, up or downsize. So how do you choose the best agent to represent you and handle the sale of your asset?
Marketing & advertising oneself is relatively easy (expensive but easy). So, it should be noted that the person you always see marketing themselves is familiar. However, this is not necessarily for the right reasons.
A lot of Sales Agents will submit a higher or inflated price on a property just to win over the client and obtain the listing. Many agents are known to do this, with the intent being that at some point through the marketing campaign they can, what they call in the industry, ‘’condition’’ the Client. They use negative feedback and slow showings to get their Clients to reconsider their current listing price & get a price change. Due to being conditioned, the Clients realise that the chances of selling their property near the agreed price are slim and they either –
A – reduce the price dramatically & possibly sell the property (if the property hasn’t become ‘stale’) or
B – Run the campaign out & then list with another agent, only to face more costs of marketing & advertising.
This sales tactic is something you will never experience at realT properties.
It is important to see how long the agent’s sales took to achieve the end result and at what cost. As many properties have exceeded the industry standard of a 90-day listing contract, this simply means that the sale has cost the vendor more money. Add the fact that the client may have been conditioned into accepting substantially less than initially advised and you can see the importance of being honestly advised from the onset of the campaign as opposed to being placated to gain your listing, as well as wasting your money and perhaps costing you the sale of your home.
Look for trust, honesty and integrity. Try and weigh up who you think will get you the best result in the fastest time without having to come back to you half way through the Sales Campaign trying to beat you down on a price that they told you was possible, only weeks prior. Remember, most people will only buy and sell real estate 1-3 times in their lifetime. It is not like these agents are relying on repeat business all too often.
Interview as many agents as you can and choose one that you believe will work for you & that you can trust. Do your checks on your chosen agents. You could be surprised how many times people overlook this, especially because they believe that as a licenced Sales Agent, one would not have too many character blemishes to retain an Agent’s Licence. Treat interviewing a potential Real Estate agent as you would a potential carer looking after someone or something you love, because they will be in charge of looking after one of your largest assets.
