Most sellers interview two or three agents and appoint the one who quoted the highest number. It is the most expensive habit in the industry.
An inflated appraisal wins the listing and then costs you the first six weeks of the campaign (the weeks when buyer interest is highest) before the price is quietly "adjusted" down to where the evidence always said it was. By then the listing has a history, and buyers can see it.
The four questions
| Ask | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|
| Which sales support that figure? | Specific recent sales of similar properties nearby, with addresses, that you can look up yourself |
| What have you sold on this street? | Named results, and the buyers who missed out on them and are still looking |
| Who actually runs the campaign? | The person in front of you conducts the opens, fields the calls and negotiates |
| What is the plan for week three? | A specific change of approach, not "we'll review the price" |
Ask for the comparable sales
Any figure should be backed by particular recent sales of similar properties nearby, with addresses, so you can look them up. If the evidence does not support the number, the number is a pitch rather than an assessment.
It is fair to ask why a comparable is comparable. Two houses on the same street with the same bedroom count can be a long way apart on land, aspect, condition and parking.
Ask what they have sold near you
Local knowledge is not a slogan. An agent working your suburb weekly knows which buyers missed out on the last three comparable homes, what those buyers are still looking for, and what they were prepared to pay. That list is worth more than any advertising schedule, and it is the reason the first week of a campaign can produce the eventual buyer.
Ask who runs the campaign
Find out whether the person in your lounge room is the one who will conduct the open homes, field the enquiry and negotiate, or whether it passes to someone junior once you have signed. There is nothing wrong with a team, but you should know who is in it and who takes the offer call.
Ask what happens in week three
Every agent has a plan for a strong start. Ask what the plan is if the first fortnight is quiet: what changes, what it costs, and who decides. The answer tells you how much thought has gone into your property specifically rather than into the presentation you are currently sitting through.
The things that matter that nobody pitches
- Communication rhythm: agree upfront how often you will hear from them and in what form. Most complaints about agents are really complaints about silence.
- The fee structure, in full: commission, marketing, and what happens to the marketing spend if the property does not sell.
- The agency agreement term. A long exclusive period with an agent who turns out to be wrong is a costly thing to sit through.
- Whether they will put you in touch with two recent vendors. A good agent offers this before you ask.
The best appointment is rarely the highest number or the lowest fee. It is the agent whose evidence you can check, whose plan survives a hard question, and who you would be comfortable having a difficult conversation with in week five.
