Choosing the right estate agent to sell well: a critical step
Too many sellers still do not take the estate agent selection stage seriously and it remains a minor priority for many of them.
Too many sellers still do not take the estate agent selection stage seriously and it remains a minor priority for many of them. We therefore witness many complaints about the competing estate agents they had chosen. The following article will help you understand why it is important to choose the right estate agent and how to tell a good one from a bad one.
Who are the good estate agents?
If the agent does their job properly, they will represent significant added value in the sale of your house, but how do you recognise them? A good estate agent will have a strong online presence, such as a website and blog. They will also have many positive references for their work, will create detailed descriptions of your house for listings, will use video tours and slideshows, and finally will communicate with you throughout the sale of your house.
Questions to ask estate agents when selecting
- How long have they been estate agents?
- How many houses have they sold since last year?
- How many of them were sold close to the original asking price?
- How long did it take them to sell them?
- Whether they have an assistant or not?
- Finally, whether they are skilled at using the internet to sell houses remotely?
Criteria for selecting an estate agent
When choosing an agent, do not base your decision on a single selection criterion such as someone who sells hundreds of houses, and do not choose convenience either, such as selecting your neighbour or a friend to be your estate agent. Focus on tangible abilities such as someone who will guarantee to sell your house for what it is worth.
The agent to avoid meets different criteria: they lack confidence, they fail to use all available resources such as internet, they give in too easily during negotiation phases, they do not communicate information with you and they do not give you much advice, they are disorganised and they seem desperate.
The practices contrary to the ethical code of estate agents
Although prohibited by the ethical code that every estate agent must follow, some estate agents overestimate your house from the start. When it does not sell, you despair and you accept the compromise they offer you: lowering the price. The agent will have won everything since they will have managed to make a sale quite quickly without really spending time finding a solution to sell your property. This widespread tactic is one of the worst you can find. Especially since once your house is on the market at too high a price, it is difficult to change the perceived image by buyers.
Do not neglect commissions
Although it is tempting to go towards an estate agent who takes low commissions, you should know that these are the most desperate ones and lower their fees to attract more sellers and they then do not have the financial means to give optimal exposure to your property on property portals which are far from free. Therefore, go towards estate agents with higher commission fees so as not to reduce your ability to sell your house. A good agent knows how to sell your house, and even if their commission may seem high to you, they will manage to sell it at a good price unlike an agent with fees that are too low who risks extending the sale period to several years.
Take your time to choose your estate agent who will handle your property, do not rush and examine all the solutions available to you following the advice we have just given you.
