Hiring the wrong agent

Hiring the right agent to sell your property is crucial. Hiring a bad agent costs a lot more than just their selling fee. Great care should be taken when deciding which agent to trust.

In Australia, thousands of property owner dollars vanish every day through unnecessary and expensive advertising, poor pricing tactics, even poorer negotiation skills of their agent, and the wrong method of sale.

Sign a listing agreement with a bad agent and you may be stuck with them for what can seem like an eternity. Many agents promise much and deliver little. Moreover be careful about hiring an agent based on sale price estimate and fee – this rarely works out well. Interview agents to discover if they have demonstrable systems and skills.

Ask the agent to provide written evidence of strong negotiation skills. An agent should be able to demonstrate negotiation skills with proof, not just by ‘talking a good game’.

Get real reviews from current and previous sellers of the agent. Arrange to speak to them where possible. Ensure an agent offers a dismissal guarantee.

If you don’t trust an agent, definitely don’t hire them!

Under an exclusive listing agreement, terminating the services of an agent is to say the least, extremely difficult. In the wrong hands, an exclusive agreement is indeed a dangerous document to sign.

Avoiding a bad agreement can often simply come down to trust. If you don’t trust an agent, definitely don’t hire them.

If you are unhappy with the agent, allow them seven days to resolve the problem. If it remains unresolved, dismiss the agent immediately. Please refer to the back of this booklet for an example guarantee.

Above all, great agents will charge nothing until a property is sold and settled and you are happy with the outcome.

This article is adapted from the seller booklet, Real Estate’s Greatest Dangers. to have a complimentary hard copy home delivered, please contact York Realty 0746136777.