Four things to check
Professionalism
- Make sure the agent knows the details of your home and holds every document buyers will ask for — Tabu extract (land registry), plans, the zoning plan (TABA), building rights and so on.
- Test their knowledge of your surroundings: the primary school allocation, kindergartens nearby, special institutions and more.
- How well the agent knows the costs you will face in the sale and the next purchase — capital gains tax, purchase tax, betterment levies — tells you about their level of knowledge and professionalism.
Marketing
- Make sure the agent puts an advertising budget into paid campaigns. Around 70% of enquiries today come through paid campaigns on Google and Facebook.
- Professional photography of the home is essential to increase the number of enquiries — the photos are what decides whether anyone clicks at all.
- Check which other tools they have: mailing lists, SMS campaigns and an active website.
Transparency
- Make sure you will get a weekly update on the advertising channels used, where buyers are coming from, and how many potential clients your home has been shown to.
- It is important to get feedback on phone enquiries and on every buyer who visited the home.
- Ask to receive offers from buyers in writing only.
- Ask how the agent will present the price and how they will negotiate with a potential buyer.
Comparative market analysis
Ask for a comparative market analysis in writing: the competing properties on the market today, and deals on similar properties completed nearby. In light of the data, ask what the right, recommended asking price is.
Remember — pricing wrongly, up or down, will inevitably do damage in one of two ways: the home not selling, or selling for less than could have been achieved.
And how not to choose
Not by the lowest commission. An agent whose fee is lower than others’ is usually telling you something about the quality of the service, the capabilities, and the money they will invest in the process — and, bottom line, about their ability to get you the maximum price.
And not by whoever valued the home highest. The agent who gives you the highest valuation will not necessarily be able to deliver when the time comes. It can drag you into a very long sale, with urgent price cuts that end in a lower price.
A few more points
- Make sure the agent is not marketing more than 8–10 properties on exclusive terms. More than that makes it hard for them to give their all to selling your home.
- Choose a local agent. There are significant advantages to someone who specialises in the area and knows the other agents in the city they can cooperate with.
- And as with everything — sometimes all it takes is a gut feeling about the right person to sell your home.
It is also worth reading what to check before advertising and the costs of selling.
