RIGHT AGENT FOR YOU
CHRISTINA KARRAS
LISTING your home is a daunting task, as it often means handling the transaction of your family’s biggest, most personal asset.
Regardless of whether you are up against plenty of competition, or looking to squeeze the most out of your sale in a slower market, choosing the right agent to sell your property is crucial.
Here are the experts’ top tips for finding the perfect person to guide you through the process.
Vendors should ultimately pick an agent they were comfortable with and could trust, Barry Plant chief executive Mike McCarthy said.
“Sellers put a lot of faith in the agents, so you need someone who will give you honest and direct feedback throughout the campaign,” Mr McCarthy said.
“Clear and good communication is key in all of this.”
While it may be easy to fall for an agent who tells you what you want to hear, they need to share their objective view on your home with a strong understanding of the buyer pool.
This normally means opting for a local agent who knows the area – and the buyers – “really well” is the best approach, according to Mr McCarthy.
“Part of the selling process is selling the vision to the buyer,” he said.
“If they know the great little parks around the corner, quirks about public transport and which local cafes were the best, a comment here or there from the agent might just help secure the interest of a prospective buyer.”
Wakelin Property Advisory director Jarrod McCabe said people were often caught up on their “personal relationship” with the agent.
“You don’t need to feel like they are going to be your best friend, but they should have a good reputation,” Mr McCabe said.
Would-be sellers can gain an initial feel for who the predominant agents and agencies in their area are by searching online for recent sales in their suburb.
It is also important to look for someone who has experience selling similar property types to your own.
“If you have a period home, do your research and see who is handling those sorts of sales,” Mr McCarthy said.
He said a good agent should come with comparable sales on hand – including properties they had sold – to demonstrate their success and give a vendor an understanding of where their home was placed in the market.
Don’t be afraid to meet with a few different agents before committing to one.
Mr McCarthy recommended sellers even go as far as to “secretly shop” a potential agent.
“Go through their opens and see how they handle buyers, how welcomed you feel, how diligently they collect your details and, importantly, if they follow up with a phone call,” he said.
Buying and selling can be a costly process, but Mr McCabe warned against being hung up on an agent’s commission rate.
He said rates often depended on the value of the property, with a fair rate for the average property sitting about 2 per cent, while multimillion-dollar homes might be as a low as 1 per cent.
“The difference between half or a quarter of a per cent can be a few thousand dollars, but if you’ve got the right agent they will make that up (in the sale),” the property adviser said.
Speaking to any recent sellers you know to compare rates is another way to gain a sense of what is reasonable, he said.