HOW TO CHOOSE A REAL ESTATE AGENT

Home is where the heart is and choosing to sell your home is a big decision. For most homeowners, selling their homes comes with a lot of mixed feelings - there's excitement about the future but there will, undoubtedly, also be heartache about leaving behind the place you've called home and made a life in. Amidst all of these emotions, you'll have a lot of decisions to make: what to take with you and what to sell, what work you might need to do to get your home ready for sale and, of course, what price you want to get for the property.

Working with a good real estate agent can help you with a lot of these decisions. With their knowledge of the property market and the laws surrounding property sales, an agent should be able to take most of the stress of selling a home off your plate. Of course, these are big decisions, and you want to be sure that you've found the best person to help you.

So, how do you choose an estate agent? It seems easy enough to go to your nearest real estate agency and tell them you want to sell your house and, of course, there are benefits to going to companies. For one, you can at least be fairly certain that the person you're dealing with is qualified to do the job or, at minimum, in training with a qualified mentor helping them out. In reality though, qualifications are the bare minimum of what makes a good agent and there are several factors that you should look at when you make your final decision.

Of course, the cost that an agent is going to charge you is a factor when you're deciding who to go with. Typically, agents charge a commission on the sale of a property which is specified as a percentage of the sale value. In reality though, this is only one of many factors that you should take into account when deciding who to go with.

Knowledge and reputation

It's pretty intuitive that referrals are a great way to create a shortlist of agents that you could work with. If you reach out to your network of friends, family and neighbours to find someone that they've worked with before, you'll at least know that your shortlist has already gone through some sort of vetting process - no one would recommend someone that they haven't had good experiences with in the past.

If referrals aren't an option for you, one of the most important things you want to look for is someone who knows your area. Have a look at the houses currently for sale, or that have recently been sold, in your area and see if there are any agents that come up frequently. These agents will most likely have the best knowledge of your specific area, which means they'll have a really good idea of what the current market is like.

What they need from you and what they bring to the table

Some agents will ask you to provide photos of your home and a host of other things while they primarily take on the role of managing the admin of the sale. Other agents will bring in professional photographers and develop a complete marketing plan. Make sure you ask a potential agent detailed questions about how they plan to market the property, what responsibilities they take on and what they need from you in order to get the best possible price for your property.

Communication and responsiveness

Selling a home can be a long and complex process and an agent should be there to make that process easier for you. Take note of how the agent communicates and how responsive they are when you contact them, as these will be good indications of what the agent will be like with potential buyers. It's a good idea to ask an agent how many listings they typically have at one time as well, so that you can get a sense of how busy they are and whether they will be able to manage the extra workload. Remember that you will have to work closely with this person but that they will also be the first point of contact for potential buyers and a bad first impression can really damage your chances of a good sale.

Go with your gut

Finally, pay attention to your instinct when you're chatting to potential agents. It's ok to simply not like an agent and not have a clear reason why that might be the case. At the end of the day, you're going to have to work with this person through a trying time and it's important that you trust them and get along with them. Selling a property can take some time and it involves a lot of planning and co-ordination, from organising viewings to negotiating a price. Each of these elements alone can be stressful and you want to work with someone that you find open, honest, and easy to talk to while you navigate this process.

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