
The sale of your home or investment property is usually a major life decision for most people. Who you are selecting to represent you for this important life milestone thus is also critical. Here are the top 5 mistakes that people make and how to avoid making them
1. Choosing someone recommended by friends or family
Even though friends and family have the best intentions to recommend someone they have worked with – always check that the agent you select is the top agent for the suburb. Just going off someone’s recommendation is easy but bypasses the key questions you must ask an agent:
- How many houses have you sold in the last year?
- How many active buyers do you have in your database?
- How many years of industry experience do you have?
Useful websites such as ratemyagent.com.au is immensely useful to give you top agents for each suburb. Like shopping, always shop around for agents as well so you can compare apples to apples.
2. Choosing an agent who promises top dollar
Sure it sounds great to choose someone who promises a super high selling price for your property, however if the average suburb sales price for similar properties is much lower than the promises sales price, beware that the agent could be over-selling themselves in order to get your business.
3. Choosing an agent who is not based in the suburb where property is located
Ensure the agent selected is actually in or close to the suburb where the property is located as you want an area expert who knows what buyers are looking for in the area and what the latest market conditions are like in the area.
4. Checking the team who will represent you
Agents don’t work alone. Even though you signed with a super-star agent, who is the their assistant and the team that will actually represent you at Open Inspections? Are they also a super-star performer?
5. Choosing an agent who is not a fan of your property
This one sounds obvious, but if an agent is not convinced that your property is well-presented, unfortunately this could have an impact in the way their enthusiasm is represented to buyers. Always check that your vision for your property presentation and advertising aligns with the personality of the agent selected.