Home in on the top agent

Here is a list of important factors to consider before picking up the phone:

Pick an agent to suit your home: Choose someone who has extensive experience selling homes (a) in your area and (b) in your home’s price bracket.

Review a few: These days most agencies will give you a free valuation. Bring in all your shortlist of companies. Ask them why they want to sell your home, about their track record with similar properties and about their proposed tactics.

Don’t always go for the highest valuation: To win clients there is no doubt that some agencies tend to be overambitious in their valuations. If he is unsuccessful in flogging your home at that high level, he will think he will be able to reduce the price later.

Don’t always go for the lowest fee: Some firms like to “yellow pack” — that means their corporate policy is to sell larger numbers of homes at smaller fees. This can mean that they need to sell the properties as quickly as possible to remain profitable. But there’s no point paying €1,000 less to your agent if another operator could have achieved an extra €10,000 by putting in more time and effort.

Know the package: Be sure you know what you’re getting for your money. Ask for a written list of what’s included in the basic fee and another list of prices for those necessary services not included in that basic fee. Fees generally range from 0.8% to 1.8%. Some expensive homes may entail a lower fee as the agent will earn more from the sale.

Some agents offer a lower percentage commission only to charge additional money for other services. You’ll pay extra for newspaper advertising, but some agencies have group deals with newspapers to obtain advertising far cheaper than their competitors.

Smaller may be better: Larger estate agencies can give a property more exposure due to their chain network and brand recognition. But if they’re already selling three identical homes in your estate, how much energy and effort will they put into yours? Smaller operators may, but don’t always, put more effort in because they have fewer clients. They may also know the local market better than agents in branches of larger operators.

You may also have a better chance of dealing with a more experienced operator in a smaller local firm.

Get the picture: The photograph of your home is vital in selling it. Assess the general quality of the agents’ pictures on websites and brochures.

Exposure, exposure, exposure: More than 60% of people find their homes online. While inclusion on an agent’s own website is helpful, access to the big portals is vital. The largest by far is Myhome.ie, while Daft.ie is a strong challenger.

Assess tactics: Some agents like to set a house at slightly more than its true market value to see if it will sell at that level. Others like to launch at less than its market value in order to attract lots of bidders, in the hope that competition will bring the price up to or above its estimated value. Ask your agent what sort of tactics they employ.

Check out the staff: Some firms try to keep costs down by running fewer staff. This can mean they are thinly stretched. Find another property that your favoured agent is selling and get a friend to ring up to see how long it takes to get hold of that agent.

Look at their body: Most qualified and trained agents are members of one or two professional bodies. Those who are members of the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute (IAVI) or the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV) have to meet educational and professional standards. Membership of a professional body also means you have some protection.

Research the form: Don’t be afraid to knock on a door when you see a “sale agreed” or “for sale” sign to ask how another client rates the agent you might use.