Making the decision to use the services of an accredited and experienced real estate agent is one of the most cardinal choices of the home-selling process. For sellers, this decision may be complicated by the fact that they would be required to pay for said services using money earned from the sale of their property.

This amount of money, referred to as agents’ commission, may be paid according to a tiered or fixed structure, based on what is decided on by the seller and the agent. Should they opt to use a fixed commission structure to determine the agent’s compensation, the agent will earn a set percentage of the home’s ultimate selling price, whilst a tiered commission structure will see the agent earning an escalating percentage, based on the amount the property sells for. Each of these commission structures has their own benefits, but when the seller talks about their expectations with the real estate agents they are interviewing, the issue of commission is sure to come up.

What exactly are home sellers paying for when they pay agent’s commission? Even if some sellers opt to go it on their own and try their hand at selling their own property, they soon realise just what real estate agents do for sellers. Chiefly, agents are tasked with managing the marketing and sale of properties, handling all the aspects associated herewith. Perhaps the biggest benefits of using an agent to help you sell are their administrative prowess and access to a large database of potential buyers.

Because real estate agents have done business in a particular suburb or city for an extended period of time, they will have learned the trends of the local property market. They are well aware of what buyers are looking for and how they are spending their money, and know how to attract prospective buyers with eye-catching listings.

Real estate agents not only help to push along the sale of the home, but also handle negotiations on the seller’s behalf. Contrary to what sellers may think, the objective, sales-focused approach of the real estate agent comes in very handy when potential buyers start asking questions, or want to haggle. Because they are solely concentrating on securing the sale – in which they have a vested interest, considering their remuneration also depends on it – real estate agents won’t become emotional in any way, while still keeping the seller’s best financial interests at heart.

So, even if agent’s commission is a definite expense when selling one’s property, it is also a necessary expense if sellers are to sell their homes quickly, and at a price that guarantees a good profit.

But how can sellers find an agent that is perfect for them?

How to Choose a Real Estate Agent 

Once they have decided to use the services of a real estate agent, sellers will have to find an agent that understands their needs and expectations, but with whom they also “click”. Getting along well with the real estate agent that is helping you sell is more important than sellers may think. Because you trust this person to handle one of the most significant financial transactions of your life, it goes without saying that you should trust them completely. How should sellers determine whether a real estate agent is trustworthy, then? The answer is to approach this just as they would approach anyone’s whose professional services they are enlisting – by conducting an interview.

Once they’ve found a few people that seem like viable candidates, they should set a time to interview each potential real estate partner. Finding a number of suitable candidates is easy when sellers use an online agent finder like Perfect Agent. Our free service gives you a number of options that have all been chosen based on specifications and requirements set out by the seller.

When interviewing potential candidates, sellers should make sure to ask a few crucial questions. For example, they should definitely enquire about the agent’s qualifications and accreditation to do business in a city or region. They should also ask how many successful sales the real estate agent has been involved in over the past 6 months or a year. This will give them a good idea of how adept the agent is at selling homes, and how quickly they do so.

Experience 

Ask the agents you are interviewing about their experience in the industry. Real estate agents who have been doing business in a particular city or suburb for at least the past few years will have a very good understanding of the area, and will come armed with contacts and an established network of partners, including home stagers, contractors and a list of potential buyers.

Many years in the business mean precious little if the agent is not backing up their experience with a proven record of sales. This is exactly why it is so important that sellers ask about their sales over the past year. Sellers should also not be afraid to ask for references to back up the agent’s claims. A quick online search will likely root out any bad apples very quickly – this can be done even before an interview with the agent is set up.

Experience should be one of the aspects that should be at the top of seller’s minds when they consider agents to help them sell. If someone has only done the job for a few months, they don’t bring much more experience than the sellers themselves, and this defeats the object of using a professional real estate expert in the first place.

Honesty 

It should not surprise sellers to learn that honesty is one of the most important qualities a good real estate agent should have. Pay attention to the asking price an agent suggests when discussing what to put your property on the market for. Inflated prices should be met with scepticism, as the agent may only be suggesting a high price to secure the chance to sell the home. As uncomfortable as it may be for some sellers to hear that their property needs work because it doesn’t match the condition of comparable properties in the same city or suburb, an agent that is open about what sells and what doesn’t is far more preferable to one that smooth talks the seller. Sellers should be wary of real estate agents that cannot back up their estimations with data from real sales.

Honesty is, of course also extremely important because of the agent’s responsibility to negotiate with potential buyers. The seller should completely trust their real estate agent to negotiate on their behalf, and if the agent does not come off as honest in the interview, it should be a very big red flag to sellers.

Word of Mouth

Once sellers have finished conducting interviews in order to decide on an agent to help them sell, following up on the references that the agents provided is the last step in the process. Sellers should not neglect this, as good old word of mouth will tell them all they need to know about agents.

When speaking to them, sellers should ask previous clients for their honest feedback about the working relationship between themselves and the agent. Sellers can ask about their general work ethic, about what kind of interest their home’s listing attracted, about the offers that were made, and about the timeframe in which the home was sold. They will also be able to say whether the agent was able to secure a good selling price. All of these questions should give sellers confirmation about a real estate agent’s experience, skill, work ethic, and even about their personality.

By this point, home sellers will have a good idea of which real estate agent is best suited to them and their needs. Now, the exciting part begins, and a sure sale is in the offing.

Perfect Agent 

Perfect Agent’s online agent finder service takes a lot of legwork out of looking for a real estate agent online. This specialised service is completely free of charge, and provides homebuyers and sellers with a list of candidates that perfectly suit their unique needs.

Perfect Agent’s service is available to buyers and sellers across Australia, and the agents we recommend have proven track records in the cities and suburbs they work in.

Using the service is as easy as completing a quick questionnaire on the Perfect Agent website.

Conclusion

Selling without the help of a real estate agent is playing with fire – especially when your property is competing with a host of others, vying for the attention of the buyer pool. To find the right agent, it is recommended that sellers interview a number of potential agents in order to find their perfect fit. An agent’s experience and their honesty are two of the most important aspects that sellers should take into consideration during this process, and this can be easily assessed by also checking the references that agents provide.

Still putting together a list of agents to interview? Perfect Agent can help you today!