This is such a great question.
First and foremost the person that you chose to act as your agent must be someone that you can trust (what does your gut feel say about the person you are interviewing). That feeling you get in the pit of your stomach will tell you pretty quickly if you have made the right decision. When you feel comfortable, then you know you have your answer and the right agent to sell one of your largest assets.
As an agent we not only guide you through the process, but we speak to you daily, weekly, monthly depending on how quickly your home or property sells and we have the responsibility to show people through your home and to find your buyers. We are in constant communication with you and you need to make sure that you are happy to speak to your agent for the duration of your selling campaign. Who would you be happy to have on your speed dial for answers to your questions……. You will know……
Your agent checklist could look like this…….
- Who is the person you are happy to work with?
- Have you checked their current listings, how do they present personally and how do they present their homes for sale?
- Look at the agency (their website, Instagram profile, twitter accounts, Facebook, do their philosophies link with yours?
- How long has an agent been selling in your region?
- What marketing can your agent offer you? Is it a package or can they tailor a package to suit your property/budget?
- Commission – what are they charging?
Commission is the biggest question that we are asked when selling houses for people. Some people only list if the numbers add up, others know that if the agent is paid a good commission that they will be working harder and therefore earn them more money on the sale of their property (I think people can often forget this….), just saying….. give your agent an incentive, after all this is why they are good at what they do. Don’t forget an agent does not get paid to do their job unless they get the results and sell your property. This will often push them to achieve better results for you their client. Another way can also be to do a tiered approach which will only reward your agent if they do achieve at the higher end of your expected range. If an agent does not then they receive the lower commission for getting the job done is the deserved reward. If however, they achieve a higher than anticipated amount for the sale of your home, this too is then worth the higher commission – they would have earned this.