Katrina has kindly written this week's article for us on how to choose a real estate agent. It's such an important decision when you are trying to sell what is usually your biggest investment.
The benefit of technology now is that you can find out about an agent before you make that first point of contact. It has been suggested that roughly 80% of first homebuyers will research agents on the internet first.
Deciding to buy or sell is a huge financial decision for a person to make. But sometimes, not enough research has gone into ‘who’ is going to help you make your dream come true.
Finding the right agent from the very beginning can save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. Choose an agent that takes the time to listen to your needs and wants.
The best agent is one who is an experienced professional, who knows the market and who conducts themselves in an ethical and trustworthy manner, under the banner of an experienced firm.
Don’t let other agencies blind you with dollar signs. Spend the time to get to know your agent.
If your agent doesn’t ring you every week – you ring them. Annoy the crap out of them and even though you might think you are hassling them, you aren’t! They should be so sick of you that they just want to get rid of your house so they can get rid of you (hahaha! In a good way!).
Don’t pick an agent that has the most listings in town. Pick one that is desperate to sell and needs the commission. So pick a reputable company, but pick the agent in their group that sounds the most ‘annoying’. And I say annoying because while you may think they are a bit full on they are more likely to sell for you!
You need to make sure they are working for YOU. Make sure they understand your needs and listen to what you need to happen.
Renegotiate your listing price if necessary. Also renegotiate your fees. If you can’t do this with current agent, get a new one. Think about making sure your pricing is in brackets of what people would look for on domain.com.au eg. If you have priced house at $410,000 but you will take under $400,000 then you need to price it lower as people only search $350,000 - $399,000 and you may get missed! Hope that makes sense J
Get new photos taken. Ask for them to be redone if things are looking stale. A new marketing campaign will put you at the top of the websites eg. Domain.com.au or realestate.com.au and will be tagged as either ‘new listing’ or ‘updated’.
Regards,
Katrina Chambers
p (02) 6923 9917
f (02) 6921 9924
m 0404 086 537
katrina@peterdaviesre.com.au
www.professionals.com.au/wagga
Thanks for the great advice Katrina
Choosing a Real Estate Agent
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