How to find a trustworthy real estate agent
Real Estate Agents are in the top 3 least trusted professions in Australia! So, in the cutthroat world of real estate, how do you find a trustworthy real estate agent? How do you separate the rare, genuine agent from the ones that would step on their own mother to get a sale?
As trust is a requirement for a fantastic working relationship, I wanted to share a few ways you can work out who to trust when choosing a real estate agent to sell your home.
Be wary of free advice
Whether you are buying or selling, free advice normally comes with some strings. Real Estate agents are always hoping that you’ll remember them when it comes to selling your home so be sure to think critically about the advice you receive. Are they genuinely trying to help you (yes some of us still just want to help) or are they just playing a tactic?
Do your research
Your home may hold a lot of sentimental value to you and for this reason, many homeowners looking to sell, tend to expect higher than market values. A trustworthy real estate agent will give you an honest assessment and show you similar properties that they have sold and the prices they were able to fetch. It’s also incredibly easy to do your own
research using sites like realestate.com.au and domain.com.au to see what properties have been sold in the area recently and how much they sold for.
Be sure to compare things such as:
- Land size
- Number of bedrooms
- Number of bathrooms
- Car parking
- Facilities such as swimming pools, gyms, saunas etc.
- Is there a solar power setup?
- Does the property require renovation/maintenance?
If you are comparing apples with apples, you will get a more accurate idea of pricing and be able to determine whether you’ve found a trustworthy real estate agent or someone who is just telling you what you want to hear to get your business.
Read the reviews
Get onto google and read the reviews for the real estate agent you are thinking of hiring.
Testimonials on websites and social media reviews can be filtered, deleted, or completely made up but google reviews are very difficult to get removed and are a lot harder to falsify.
If there aren’t reviews that say how trustworthy that agent is, you have to ask yourself why people didn’t feel the need to say so! You may even find someone you know has reviewed them and you can ask them more information.
Interview your real estate agent
When you are selling your home, your real estate agent is working for you. So, why not start that relationship off with a job interview to see if they are the right fit?
Here are a few questions that may help you determine whether you have found a trustworthy real estate agent:
- How many properties have you sold in this area?
- What networks do you have that you can tap into to help us sell?
- Can you think of a time when you chose ethics over money?
- Do you have any previous sellers we can meet for feedback on your service?
- Are there any other costs we may incur?
- What are your values/What is important to you?
Conclusion
The few shonky real estate agents that are around, unfortunately, ruin the reputation of all real estate agents, even those of us who genuinely love to help clients and offer incredible customer service.
I hope these tips help you find a trustworthy real estate agent that will do right by you. If you’d like to interview me to sell your home, please get in touch for a no-obligation chat.
