Six questions to ask your prospective real estate agent

If you’re planning on selling a property, chances are you have been looking to find a real estate agent to guide you through the process. It’s no secret that the right agent plays a significant role in achieving a great outcome. As a result, it’s vital to make sure you weigh up your options thoroughly before deciding who will represent you. Unsure of the best way to work out which agent suits your needs best? View the decision like a hiring process: make sure you ask the hard questions before committing. We’ve started the process for you by putting together a list of six questions you should ask any prospective real estate agent.

1. “How will you make my property stand out in the market?”

Real estate is a competitive marketplace, often with several properties that are similar to yours providing many options for buyers to choose from. Ask your agent for specific ways that they intend to market your property, to ensure you reach the widest buyer audience. Having a better understanding of the methods they intend to use and which of those have metrics and reporting, will benefit you and will ensure your campaign stays on track to reach as many buyers as possible.

2. “What experience do you have selling in my market, area, type of property and building?”

Results often speak louder than words. Evidence of an agent’s ability to deliver, whether that’s for a similar property type or price range, can be just as important as experience selling in the local area. If you are selling an apartment, make sure your agent understands strata schemes, the intricacies of owners’ corporations and executive committees and how to navigate their way around a strata search, to best advise and provide comfort to the buyers who are looking.

3. “What is the best method of sale for my apartment and why?”

Having a clear understanding of the agent’s game plan is important when making a decision. The importance of a robust, tailored selling strategy can easily be overlooked and can make a huge difference to your eventual outcome. Ask your agent for information about which buyers they feel are likely to be attracted to the property, how are they intending to reach and engage with them, where are the buyers coming from, what their pricing strategy is and what the best method of sale is to extract the best price.

4. “What marketing elements will you use to sell my apartment and why do you think this is the best strategy?”

It’s one thing to list a property online but to know how to attract and maximise online engagement and in turn, the number of buyers at your opens, is an entirely different thing. Real estate agents who specialise in quality marketing can explain their marketing recommendations clearly and will have a sound understanding of the value of each of the marketing elements they are proposing. Being assured of why certain techniques will work is essential.

5. “What needs to be done regarding presentation of this apartment to get the best outcome?”

Never underestimate the power of property presentation in securing a better outcome. A great way to create significant value and increase buyer interest is through property styling. Appropriate styling can help to promote a certain lifestyle or showcase the hidden potential of a property. It’s important that your prospective agent understands the buyer demographic suited to your property and how they intend to capture and engage their attention through presentation improvements or styling. Remember, your property is competing with other listings for the attention of buyers and those that are presented well, will attract more buyer interest.

6. “How will you overcome objections from buyers to negotiate the best price?”

This question may be one of the most telling. A well-versed agent should be able to provide you with case studies outlining how they were able to overcome unexpected difficulties or negotiate quality prices during previous sale campaigns. They should also be able to demonstrate strategies around buyer negotiation and the structure of the offer process to achieve the best outcome. A prepared agent will take the time to understand the specifics of your property or strata scheme such as special levies, nearby construction, pending development applications and renovation potential, in order to best deliver confidence to buyers.

We are for apartments.

If you are considering buying or selling your apartment in Sydney city or its surrounds, we would love to help you. Ayre Real Estate are specialists in apartment living and ready to help find your ideal property. Talk with us today to find out more.