Once you have decided to sell your property, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is which real estate agent to use. This decision alone (coupled with the right team, lead by your vendor advocate) arguably has the biggest influence on the sale price you ultimately achieve. If you choose the right agent, you could achieve a sale price that is significantly higher. The decision can, however, be very overwhelming and time consuming – particularly when all the different agents sound so similar!  A vendor advocate can help you by gathering the right data and drawing on years of experience to help you find the right agent.  

Here is more detail on the process a vendor advocate goes through to help select the best real estate agent:

In-Depth Research & Data Gathering

A vendor advocate will do a thorough analysis of recent sales in the local area to compare the results of similar properties. They will gather extensive data to present to the property owner, such as:

• Recent sales in the last 6 months
• Sales of similar properties
• Sales results of individual real estate agents - not just results at a company level

It should be noted that vendor advocates have access to sales data that is not generally available to the public. Prices are often listed as “Undisclosed” on Domain.com.au and realestate.com.au – but a vendor advocate is able to access this data.

Short-Listing of Agents

A vendor advocate will then meet with a number of the local agents, before creating a short list of 2-3 agents for the vendor to review. During meetings with each agent, an advocate is assessing:

• Level of professionalism and their position within the company
• Local knowledge such as schools, transport, awareness of all recent sales and properties on the market (not just their own!)
• Current and active buyers in their database
• Ability of the agent to articulate the key property selling points
• How well the agent will get along and communicate with target buyers (eg. first home buyers) and also the vendor
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable in these challenging times
• Submissions provided regarding the price range of the property, marketing strategy and commission.

An advocate can also arrange for you to meet with the short-listed agents before a final decision is made. Whilst Thrive does have many relationships with agents throughout Melbourne, we still follow the same thorough process for each property to ensure we are recommending the strongest performing agent in the current market. If you do have a particular agent in mind we are always happy to discuss and value your thoughts at all stages.

If you are considering selling your home and would like to optimise it’s value, please contact us.