You will only sell a home a handful of times in your life, which is exactly why most sellers get this decision wrong. The agent who arrives with the highest valuation and the friendliest manner often wins the instruction, and six months later the property is still sitting on the market with three price reductions behind it. Choosing well is not complicated, but it does mean asking direct questions and reading what you are asked to sign.
Here is how to compare agents on evidence rather than charm.
Every agent claims to know your area. Very few can prove it. Ask for comparable sales: properties on your street or within a few minutes' walk, similar in style, size and condition, sold in the last few months. Ask what they actually achieved, not what they advertised. If the answer is vague, or the examples are from the other side of town, you have learned something useful.
Then ask about capacity. A branch with eighty listings and four staff cannot give your home much attention. Ask how many properties they have on the market in your price bracket right now, who will conduct the viewings, and whether the person who valued your home will be the person negotiating your sale. Some agencies send a senior valuer to win the instruction and a junior to handle everything afterwards. That is worth knowing before you sign, not after.
Commission is usually a percentage of the final sale price, though fixed fees exist. Either can work, but the number on the brochure is often not the number you pay. Ask these questions before you compare anything:
Do not choose purely on price. A slightly higher commission that achieves a stronger sale price usually leaves you better off, but only if the agent can demonstrate how they will get there. Ask each one to talk you through the net figure — what you would realistically walk away with after fees.
A listing on a property portal and a photograph taken on a phone is not a marketing plan. Ask each agent to send you their proposal in writing, and look for detail rather than adjectives. Who takes the photographs, and are they trained to do it? Will there be a floorplan, a video walkthrough, or a virtual tour? Which portals will the property appear on, and will it be featured or standard listing? How will they reach their registered buyers — a database email, a phone round, a targeted social campaign? Will viewings be accompanied, and will you receive feedback within a day?
A useful test: search the agent's current listings as a buyer would. Are the photographs bright and well framed? Are the descriptions accurate and readable? Are floorplans included? The effort they put into other people's homes is the effort you can expect on yours.
The contract matters more than the sales pitch. Check the type of agency agreement first. Sole agency means you appoint one agent but can sell to a buyer you find yourself without paying a fee, depending on the wording. Sole selling rights is broader and can mean a fee is due even if you find your own buyer. Multi-agency lets you use several agents, usually at a higher rate.
Then look at the tie-in period. Long lock-ins of several months give an underperforming agent little reason to work quickly. Check the notice period, how you terminate in writing, and what happens to fees if you withdraw. Anything you do not understand should be explained in writing before you sign; if it is not, take independent legal advice rather than assuming.
Also read their online reviews, and pay attention to how the agency responds to criticism. A thoughtful reply to a negative review tells you more than a wall of five-star ratings.
Invite three agents to value the property within the same fortnight, and give each the same information about your plans and timescales. Ask for a written proposal covering fee, contract length, marketing spend and a realistic asking price with the evidence behind it. Score them against each other rather than judging them one at a time.
Finally, ask for two recent sellers you can call. Ask whether the agreed price was achieved, how often they heard from the agent, and whether they would use them again. Most people will tell you honestly.
Choose the agent who gave you the most convincing evidence, answered your awkward questions without flinching, and put everything in writing. Be wary of the one who only told you what you wanted to hear about price. Once appointed, stay involved: check the listing when it goes live, respond to feedback, and ask for a weekly update rather than waiting for news. A good agent is worth the fee; a passive one costs you far more than the commission ever will.
Photo: Tumisu / Pixabay
