How To Choose The Right AGENT To Sell Your PROPERTY

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 2 HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT AGENT TO SELL YOUR PROPERTY By Bernadette Janson Bernadette Janson is the founder and director of The School of Renovating. She is fanatical about renovating and loves sharing twenty years of knowledge and experience. Bernadette can be contacted at Bernadette Janson Renovator I Author I Speaker

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION //1 HOW MUCH TO BUDGET //3 OVERVIEW //4 PREPARATION //5 HOUSEKEEPING //6 DUE DILIGENCE //1 TOPIC //1

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 4 INTRODUCTION The family home is often the biggest investment many Australians will own and so selling it is an important step and requires some thought and preparation to get the best result.The right agent can add tens of thousands to your sale price. To be a savvy seller it is wise to do a little research before you start making moves to list your property so that you select the right agent for the task..

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 5 STEP 1 CHECK OUT THE COMPETITION In the months leading up to listing your property attend as many open inspections and auctions in your local area as possible. You do this for 3 reasons: To get a feel for the properties and the prices they are fetching To get an understanding of how each of your local agents operate To compare your own property with its competition in terms of features and presentation.

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 6 STEP 2 DETERMINE YOUR PROPERTY’S VALUE You need to have a good idea of the value of your property before you approach any agents. Monitoring open inspections and sales in the area may be enough You can also request a Market Comparison Report from one of the larger agencies. Some vendors also engage a valuer.

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 7 STEP 3 ADD SOME NUMBERS TO THE MIX From the market comparison report tally up the number of properties sold for each agent Note that this exercise should be done per agent not agency. It is the right person you are looking for, not the office. You may also want to tally up the days on the market for each agent as well although I tend to be a little wary of this because often the days on the market have more to do with the vendor.

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 8 STEP 4 PREPARE A SHORTLIST OF AGENTS Make up a short list of 3 agents in the top 50% of sales. The following qualities are essential. 1.Good local knowledge. 2.Good people skills, friendly and outgoing. 3.Returns calls promptly and follows up after opens etc.

Set Up the meeting By the time you get to meet the agents you will have a lot of knowledge about them already. Don’t share your finding with them, this will help fine tune the B.S meter. Just work through the questions and let the agents share their knowledge and expertise with you. You will be able to work out quickly if its cheap talk or not. The following questions will help tease out the information you need to make your decision.

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 10 1 How long have you been in the business ? You are looking for someone who has had substantial selling experience, can handle any scenario that comes along and has plenty of energy to sustain enthusiasm for your property for as long as is necessary. You may think this is being overly pedantic but this person is going to be negotiating a huge sum of money on your behalf.. be fussy.

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 11 2 How many similar houses have you sold in my area in the last 6 months?

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 12 3 How much and how long

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 13 4 Advertising

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 14 5 What makes you different

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 15 6 Fees

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 16 7 Method Of Sale

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 17 8 Fees

……………………… …………..…………..……………………… SHARE GENEROUSLY 18 9 Curly questions

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