How to choose the best agent to sell your home

Your home is a major asset, so when you decide to sell, it's important to find a property professional with the right skills, experience and motivation to facilitate the transaction and achieve the best possible results.

However, says Gerhard Kotzé, CEO of the RealNet property group, not all estate agents or brokers have the same training, expertise or approach, so before giving anyone a mandate to sell your home, you should "interview" a few property professionals and ask as many questions as you need to help you choose one that you like and trust and feel comfortable working with.       

"When it comes to experience and expertise, for example, you can start by asking how many years the person has been working as a property professional, what qualifications they have, how many properties similar to your home they've sold and if they can provide references from previous clients.

"You should also make sure they are registered with the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and hold a current Fidelity Fund Certificate. This will give you peace of mind that the property professional is happy to work according to a code of conduct and ensure that you are financially protected in the transaction."

Next, he says, you need to check the agent's market knowledge by asking them for current information about home listings and sales in your area, how they intend to determine an appropriate asking price for your home and what strategies they believe would be best to market the property effectively. They should also be able to explain a typical timeline for concluding a sale in the current market.

"You also need to listen carefully to what they have to say about where your property will be listed - that is, what marketing platforms they will be using, whether they will be using professional photography and staging to enhance the listing, and how the responses to listings, enquiries about the property and requests to view it will be managed. It's no good having a beautiful online listing that attracts lots of interest if no-one is responding to enquiries from potential buyers."

Thirdly, says Kotzé, you need to ask the agent some very direct questions about their commission rate, the services included in their fee and any additional costs or expenses you should know about. Some estate agencies will ask you to pay extra, for example, for professional photography.

"In addition, you should check on the proposed duration of the mandate agreement, what the procedure would be if it needed to be renewed, whether it contains any restrictions on you as the seller in the post-mandate period, and what happens if you are not satisfied with the services rendered during the mandate."

And finally, he says, you need to be sure that you are comfortable with the way your property professional will communicate - with you and potential buyers. "You should ask them how often you can expect updates on the marketing and sales progress, and feedback from potential buyers. And then you should ask how they usually handle negotiations with potential buyers, what their approach is to dealing with multiple offers, and whether they would work with another property professional representing a prospective buyer."

At this stage, says Kotzé, you should know whether a property professional is the "right one" for you or not, "but in any case you should always consider a few agents who are prominent in your area, take notes and take the time to compare what they have told you before making a final decision. Selling your home is a big deal and you want to be sure you have found the best person to do so."