How do you go about choosing the best agent to market and sell your property?
Research
As you are doing your research, you will likely find agents in your area that specialise in properties similar to yours. For example, within 2 kms of the Jeff Jones office are properties ranging from $250,000 for a one bedroom unit to $2 million houses with city views. Your research should help you get a feel for which agents specialise in your type of property. Then you should be able to a great fit.
Attend Open Homes
Second, we want you to attend open homes. This will require a little bit of effort on your part, but we believe the knowledge you’ll gain will be beneficial in your quest to find the right agent. By going to open houses that are similar in size, style, age and location to yours, you’ll gain a wealth of knowledge as to the value and marketability of your property. After you have a good feel for the properties that are similar to yours, go visit a few that are less expensive and a few are more expensive. This exercise will not only help you better frame your property’s value, but will allow you to observe several agents at work. You’ll be able to ask them questions, hear their answers, and experience their selling style. One of the most important things you’ll learn by attending these open houses is how well each agent follows-up with you. You might get a follow-up call as early as that afternoon, but you should definitely expect a call by Monday. These agents should be asking you questions relevant to your property, and where you are in the decision-making process.
Investigate
Third, we want you to use the knowledge you’ve gleaned from your research and take a focused look at your local agents. Again, you can find this information from several online sources. Check out their websites and get a good feel for their area of expertise. After you’ve done this, chose three agents from different agencies and invite them to your property. Ask them to meet you to discuss your research findings and to inspect your property.
The Meeting
This brings us to our fourth point: the agent interview. These generally happen one of two ways. Some agents prefer to visit your property, look around, and return to their agency to do some research of their own. Typically, they’ll set a second appointment with you to do their presentation. Other agents prefer to do their research prior to meeting you at your property. They’ll typically bring their research with them and go over everything with you at the initial meeting. Either way works, but it’s your choice. Decide which method you’re most comfortable with and let the three agents know. Obviously, this will give the agents an opportunity to present their information and ask you questions about your property. But, this is also your chance to ask questions too. Some questions you might want to ask:
- How long do you think it will take to sell my property?
- What should I do with my property to show it at its best? (remember our styling blog?)
- Will you attend all the open houses and conduct the contract negotiations? (very important question)
- What’s your track record in this area?
- What’s my property worth, and why?
- Why should I choose you to sell my property?
That last question is probably the most pertinent question of all. We highly encourage you to ask it. How an agent answers these questions will give you a good sense of their marketing and selling style.
Decision Time
Fifth, it’s time to decide! Our advice is simply to choose the most professional agent you interviewed. Generally, if you’ve done your research (and we know you have), you’ll find that one of the three will fit your needs. It’s so important to choose the agent you can connect with because you’re going to be trusting them with your property. Choose the agent who you are confident will work best with you and produce the results you want. You’ll be working with this agent, and should choose the one you feel will best meet your needs. If you feel like you haven’t found a good fit in the first round of three choices, you can repeat the process.