How to choose a real estate agent

Choosing the best agent to sell your home can be a decision worth thousands of dollars - and sometimes hundreds of thousands.

The best agents consistently get better sales results than rivals selling equivalent homes in the same area.

So how do you sort the good from the bad and the downright ugly when it comes to choosing an agent?

Here’s a few dos and don’ts…

DO

• Your research

The first place to start is recent sales results. Take a look on realestate.com.au and domain.com.au at what’s sold in your area lately, and for how much. A pattern should start to emerge of leading agents, strong market share and superior sales results.

For Aura, for example, look through sales results and you’ll see Jackson Jones director Richard Jones commands an impressive share of the market. You’ll also see his listings consistently achieving better prices than equivalent homes sold in the same time period by rival agents. 

Richard says:

“I’m so confident that I’ll find the best price in the market for a property I list. The figures are there to back up that assertion and it’s something I’ll tell potential vendors as a matter of pride.”

• Take note of reviews and awards

OK, so any agent can scrape together a couple of decent reviews. But if someone has five-star ratings across every platform, and numerous ones, it’s a fair indication that they’re doing plenty right.

It also shows they are organised, motivated and confident enough to ask for positive feedback from their buyers and vendors - all features you want in you selling agent.

Review words matter, too. “We got there in the end with xxxx” is less convincing than “there should be a a six-star rating for xxxx”. Words like “professional”, “trustworthy”, “competent” and “great communicator” speak volumes, particularly if they are a recurring theme.

The yearly Rate My Agent awards are another good indication of quality. Winning agents must combine numbers of sales with strong price achievements and positive seller feedback to take out the gong.  Jackson Jones principal Nigel Jackson and director Richard Jones are both number one 2023 Agent of the Year recipients in their respective suburbs.

• Ask curly questions

Don’t be afraid to turn a blow torch onto your potential agent. They should be happy to fight for your listing.

Important questions include:

• How much do you think we could get for our property in the current market?
• What are your thoughts on how the market is performing?
• What would be the best mix of marketing for us?
• Do you have a database of current buyers looking in this bracket?
• Can you talk me through the different sale methods?
• Is there work we should do on our house before going to market?
• Should I sell while my property is tenanted?

Quality agents should be able to answer these and more seamlessly. If they can’t, they’ll probably fumble over buyer enquiries too.

DON’T

• Choose on size of brand

There are some household name brands in Australia employing thousands of agents. Those agencies employ some excellent agents, but they’re also a training ground for rookies.

If you’re tempted to sign with one, make sure you check out the performance of the individual agents, and ensure an experienced team will be overseeing your campaign from start to finish.

You don’t want the office junior running your open homes, nervously lurking as hordes of potential buyers traipse through your property without ever being asked what they think of it, whether it meets price expectations and if they’re in a position to buy.

Big name agencies have huge client databases - but be aware that they almost never share data between offices. In fact, branches are often franchises in fierce competition with each other.

Smaller boutique agencies tend to feature experienced agents trading on their reputation.

As Jackson Jones principal Nigel Jackson says:

“Its our name on the door at Jackson Jones. Its our reputation at stake in the communities we live amongst. Our business has to be about delivering a quality experience and we’re entirely dedicated to that.”

• Go with a friend

This is a business transaction and you need the right agent taking care of it.

It doesn’t matter if Sharon is your best friend or Bob is you cousin’s mother’s brother’s nephew. It’s often easier to work with someone you don’t have an emotional connection with.

There are times when tough conversations are important and you need to be able to have those without the added pressure of personal involvement.

People will stick with an unsuccessful agent for hundreds of days out of a sense of loyalty, guilt or obligation - or simply because that agent pops round for a cuppa every Friday. A fresh approach frequently delivers quick results when that cord is cut.

• Fall for low commissions

There’s nothing wrong with negotiating on commission, but if your agent is willing to go super low, imagine how fast they’ll get talked down on your sale price!

A low commission can seem like a great incentive to list with an agent, but it’s often a false economy. A 0.5% percent saving on commission might seem like a significant amount but is insignificant compared to a poorly negotiated sales outcome $100,000 dollars lower than it should be. The most expensive mistake you can make is putting your property in the hands of the wrong agent.

Your sale should be all about net return at the end of the process. Who will deliver the best net return? Not the agents scrambling to offer the lowest commission. Anyone offering a super-low commission on an average-priced home is struggling.

Remember, you’re choosing someone to have the final conversation when negotiating over your most valuable asset.

This could be a life-changing moment. As Richard Jones says:

“If you were deciding between three quotes for heart surgery, would you be choosing the cheapest one?”