Buying a house is hard work, but selling a home is even harder. Choosing a real estate agent can be daunting, because you are trusting someone to take your home to market and to achieve the result you want. With us now entering the busiest real estate period of the year, here are some tips to help find the perfect agent for you.
- Prove their worth
Ask a prospective agent for a list of what they have listed and sold in the past year, with the results and, where possible, contact information of the client. You can then question past clients on their experience with the agent, the result the agent achieved, the techniques s/he used etc. It is also a good idea to find properties on their list that are similar to yours and start with those.
It is also important to look at the clearance rate. That is the amount of properties the agent has listed against the amount that they have sold. It is also important to see what the average amount of Days on Market the agent has for properties they have sold.
Do they have a database of buyers who are actively seeking a property?
- Credentials
Ask to see copies of the agent and the real estate agency’s licencing information and make sure it is current and up to date. The activities of property agents, their salespeople and on-site residential property managers are regulated under the Property, Stock and Business Agents Act 2002 (‘Act’). The Act requires that all real estate agents (including a buyer’s agent), stock and station agents, business agents, strata managing agents and on-site residential property managers hold an appropriate licence. NSW Fair Trading maintains a record of licensing information and certificates of registration from 1 September 2003 including:
- name and business address of the holder
- the category of the licence or certificate
- the licence or certificate number
- date of issue and expiry
- disciplinary action taken against the licence or certificate holder.
Click here to perform a NSW Licence check.
- Who is this person?
Ask the agent all about themselves. You have to trust this person with your home; this is an important business transaction, so find out as much as you can.
- How long have they been an agent? Experience can count for a lot.
- How long have they sold homes in that area? Stable local knowledge is important.
- How long have they been with that agency? If they have not been there long, why? You may also want to consider asking to see their entire agent history.
- How many listings do they have at the moment? If they have too many listings, can you trust them to give your sale the attention it deserves?
- Google them. Look at their social media profile; truly get a sense of them.
- What would buyers think of this person?
Take a step back and think about the people who will be coming into contact with this person. Do you think that potential buyers would trust, listen to, and get along with the agent? Your first impression may be correct, if you don’t like them chances are buyers won’t either.
They are your ambassador; you want the best person to represent your interests.
realestateworld.com.au can help you find your agent with our agent find on our homepage.
