Having decided with utmost certainty that I wanted to sell my family home, well as much certainty as I could find at the time, I began to think about how I would sell my house.
The option of selling it myself did not really tempt me as my focus is always on my work and my clients. Getting my house ready to sell would take up enough of my minimal spare time. This is certainly not a bad option for people, especially with the internet and sites like forsalebyowner.com.au. You can have your house listed on realestate.com.au and domain through sites such as these for a one off fee of $699, a bargain. I have had clients that have used this with success.
I had purchased my family home back in 2009. The agent that I had purchased through I had a certain connection with and a friendship slowly blossomed over time. I did some market research before I contacted her with the decision that I would be selling. The current market conditions were strong in my area but it was still difficult to see what price I would be able to obtain. My property is an acreage property, these vary greatly, in terms of land use and demand. This makes this type of property a lot harder to determine a price guide than a standard residential home.
Rhonda, my lovely local real estate and friend was my first choice for the sale. She ticked all of my boxes. What are my boxes when it comes to picking an agent for your sale –
• Do some research on the local agents in the area, who is selling the most properties, who has a large volume of listings. Who is selling homes similar to yours? An agent who has had similar listings to your home recently may still have buyers on their books who have missed out on a previous property that they can contact.
• Read the profiles of agents on the website. If they have no profile then give the office a call and have a chat to one or two of your choosing. Drop by local agents and have a chat. I personally wouldn’t give out too many details until you have narrowed down who you would like to get out to do a market appraisal.
• Select three agents to give you a market appraisal. Discuss the costs and commission, advertising campaign and style of selling. Taking notice through this journey of the agents who are communicating well and meeting your personal expectations.
• Understand how long their agency agreement is and if there is any way that you can cancel it in case you change your mind during the process.
• Take a leap of faith and engage the one that you believe will do the best job for you.
I personally respect Rhonda as a real estate agent because she is extremely hard working, has more than 12 years’ experience in my local area and is honest. Honesty is the most important part to me. Her price guide is honest and her work ethic meets my needs.
I negotiated the commissions with Rhonda and she was hired. Selling my house just became real.