Who's your agent?

VICKI HOLDER presents her 10-step guide to getting the right agent to sell your home.

With around 5000 real estate agents in Auckland, vendors are spoilt for choice when it comes to selling their home. There's no excuse for taking a punt and committing to a real estate salesperson merely on a hunch.

To get the best price for your property and to make the selling process as stress-free as possible, you need to work with the best person for the task - somebody who is going to get you results.

So be methodical about the selection process. Don't take the easy road and get hooked by for the first agent you meet, and don't automatically go for the person you got chatting to during an open home.

Don't fall for the line that you should list with them because they have buyers waiting. There are always buyers waiting - it's getting them to pay the right price for your home that is the skill.

Don't phone a real estate office and ask the receptionist to recommend an agent. The rule of thumb when choosing an agent is to check them out.

This 10-step plan to selecting an agent is designed to increase your chances of coming out the other side feeling satisfied:

1 DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Drive around your area and check the visibility of various agents from open home signs. Note the sold signs, in particular. Skim through the property press and see who is advertising. Check the promotional flyers that arrive in your mail box. Read what they say and how they present homes to evaluate the effectiveness of their promotional campaigns.

2 NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUTH

It's a useful guide to establishing performance. Ask friends in your area who they have had a good, trusting relationship with and how they rate the agent. Ask whether they would re-employ that agent and if they were happy with every aspect of the sale.

3 INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THOSE WORTH CONSIDERING

Treat it like a job interview and leave no questions unanswered. Ask for testimonials and follow up references.

4 TEST THEIR MARKET KNOWLEDGE AND NOTE THEIR ABILITY TO GIVE INFORMATION

A real estate agent should have a thorough knowledge of all sales methods and be able to recommend the one best suited to your property and situation. Get them to explain the pros and cons of all the processes involved. If they recommend an auction, make sure they are proficient in this area.

5 ASK THEM TO GO THROUGH THE MARKETING PROCESS

Request examples of other successful marketing programmes and assess the feedback they supply to clients. Look for people who can give carefully planned marketing strategies.

6 CHECK THEIR TRACK RECORD

Sales people must be able to demonstrate their effectiveness with proven results.

7 RATE THEIR ENTHUSIASM AND ENERGY

Are they prepared to work hard to champion your property? Look for genuine enthusiasm - it's the intrinsic attitudinal approach that drives a successful campaign.

8 ARE YOU ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH?

You'll be working with the agent for 40 to 60 days and, with luck, they'll be on your doorstep every other day. Consider whether you feel comfortable entering such a close relationship with the agent.

9 GO TO THE AGENT'S OPEN HOMES

You can learn a lot about a salesperson's ability to present and market a property when you come across them as a prospective purchaser. Check how they present someone else's home. Are they helpful and do they explain the home's features and benefits?


10 CHECK THEIR OFFICES

Phone and visit to get a feel for their professional attitudes, their back-up support and the way they operate and present properties.

Once you've been through this extensive process, you can be sure that you've done everything possible to remove the risks involved in selling your home.

Next week, we look at how to monitor your real estate agent's performance.