Whatever the property market might be doing, if you’re considering selling a home, one of the biggest questions that many sellers ask is which real estate agent should I choose?

And it’s an important question. The right real estate agent will boast a range of professional skills, will be someone you feel you can trust, and will work with you to achieve what is essentially both an emotional and financial outcome.

So let’s dive into the key skills required of any prospective agent to help you determine which real estate agent is right for you.

The professional skills required of a great agent 

A great real estate agent will boast a range of skills that extend from local market knowledge right through to proven results and interpersonal skills.

They will also be skilled at marketing, will be able to determine which selling method best suits your property, and will know the market inside out with an ability to recount recent sales which involved properties similar to yours

Let’s break those skills down…

Local market knowledge

In Australia, the property market is often talked about in national terms, but the reality is real estate is a hyper-local affair.

While the market in one area might be slow, in another it could be moving quickly. And that can even vary from suburb to suburb in one single region.

That’s why you want a real estate agent with proven local market knowledge.

They should have a firm grasp on what properties have recently sold in your local area, including the price they commanded, along with buyer demand for similar homes.

Property marketing ability

Marketing is a key skill of any good agent, and the reality is that marketing should vary depending on the property.

To select the right agent, look at how they market homes similar to yours, including how they use social media, how they display properties on their website, and whether they also use more traditional methods like print media, brochures, and more.

The right sales method for your home

Different properties lend themselves to different sale methods.

These include:

• Private treaty – where the home is advertised for a specific price
• Auction – where the sales campaign tends to be short in a bid to drum up competition from buyers on specific auction date.
• For sale by tender – Where prospective buyers are encouraged to submit their offers by a certain date.
• For sale by negotiation – Where buyers supply an offer, and then the agent then negotiates a suitable price.
• Off-market – In this instance, the property is not advertised for sale publicly but is instead showcased to other sellers who may have recently missed out on a property with that agent, or those sellers who are on their database and are looking to buy.

The right real estate agent will walk you through which option they believe best suits your property. More importantly, they will explain why that’s the case and also illustrate the success they have had using the proposed method in the recent past.

Finding a property’s point of difference

Every property has a story and a point of difference. 

A great agent will find this unique selling proposition and advertise that to the marketplace. This might be the home’s entertaining area, the fact it is a great investment as a rental, or that it has plenty of space and is an ideal family home.

Contacts, networks, and realtor databases

We mentioned the term database earlier and this is an important asset for a trusted agent. It indicates they have built relationships with potential buyers who might be interested in your property.

Ask any prospective agent about their network and database of buyers. It will help illustrate whether they already have people on hand who might well be interested in your home.

The interpersonal skills required of a real estate agent

While professional skills are the foundations you should be looking for when it comes to choosing an agent, the reality is property is a people-based industry.

That means some of the key attributes you should seek in an agent also include interpersonal skills that you can relate to. In other words, is this someone you feel you can work with and trust?

Will they listen to your needs, do they have your best interests at heart, and is their focus on you rather than just the transaction?

Top tips for selecting a real estate agent

When it comes to selecting the right agent to suit your needs, it starts with internet research.

When it comes to this initial research, key things to look for include:

• The real estate agent’s names that you recognize in your area
• The look and feel of their website or marketing materials
• Whether this person has been in contact with you in the past, and how they made you feel
• How many homes they have sold in your suburb area
• What sort of prices they achieved, and whether those properties were similar to yours

Once you get past the initial research phase, it’s time to select one or a couple of agents who will provide an appraisal of your home, and also outline how they would sell it, if given the opportunity.

At this stage, key things to look for include:

• How well do you relate to the agent
• What they say about your home and the elements they find unique
• How they would price it
• The sales method they intend to use to sell the property
• What marketing methods do they intend to use
• Recent similar sales they have had in the region
• How often they will communicate with you during the selling phase

10 questions to ask any prospective agent

To gauge whether an agent is a right person to sell your property, here are just some of the questions you can ask when they come and appraise your home:

1. Why do you believe you are the right person to sell my property?
2. What price do you believe my property will achieve?
3. What similar sales have you recently been part of?
4. How do you intend to market my property?
5. What sales method do you think would suit this property, and why?
6. Do you have a database of buyers who are looking for a home like mine?
7. If the interest in my property does not live up to your expectations, what would you do then?
8. What steps should I take to prepare my property for sale?
9. How often should I expect to hear from you, and what communication method will you use?
10. Please provide me an example of how you negotiated and secured the sale of a property under tricky circumstances.

Each of these questions will reveal a wealth of insight about the professional skills of the agent, along with providing that ‘gut feeling’ of whether they’re the right agent for you.

Wondering how imsold can help?

If you’re looking for an agent who will consistently work with you to achieve your goals and who believes sales is about true service, you can reach out to Andrew Johnson and the imsold team here.