A couple of months ago, as part of a series of documentaries being made for New Zealand television, Neil Jenman, the well known Real Estate consumer advocate, was asked to provide a list of questions, comments and hints to help sellers chose an agent. We will post a series of these questions on our Blog over the next few days and hope they will help you when choosing a Real Estate Agent to sell your home. Here is the first Question to ask the agents.

What price do you think you can sell my property for?

Most agents will try hard to hedge around this question. They may be vague and say such things as “It depends on the market,” or they may use the common ploy of answering a question with a question, such as, “How much do you want?”

Sellers should stand firm and press the agent on this point by making such comments as:
You are the agent, you sell lots of properties in this area, surely you know how much you can sell my property for – even if you have to give me a range. After all, you are the expert, aren’t you?

I plan to call several agents and get several quotes. Are you okay about that?

Once the agent has given a [verbal] quote, ask the following:
· Will you give me that quote in writing?
· Do you usually sell properties for the price that you quote the sellers?

Regardless of the answers, don’t dwell too long on any point at this stage. Just keep the questions rolling…

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