Selling your property is an exciting and stressful time! No one understands that better than the team here at Hutton & Hutton. We love to see our clients achieve the ‘Love Price’ for their properties; that golden price that leaves you feeling content in letting go of your property. That’s why we know choosing an agent is an important step! It’s so important that the agent you choose has your best interests at heart. This is an agent who will show you confidence, ambition, and innovation.
The following is a list of five critical things to look for when choosing an agent with whom to list your property.
(Credit: Hutton and Hutton) At H & H, we pride ourselves on offering the best, most personalised service possible
1. Beware the one-size-fits-all plan
When agencies employ a one-size-fits-all-plan to selling property, they use the same marketing and sales strategy with everyone. Now, anyone thinking hard enough will know that the marketing strategy for a luxury 2-bedroom apartment on New Farm’s Oxlade Drive and the strategy for a 5-bedroom family home in the heart of Calamvale are going to be drastically different.
However, some agencies will actually recommend the same stock-standard marketing plan for both properties. At H & H, we call these agents ‘McAgents’, because you’ll get the same service regardless of your actual individual needs.
A one-size-fits-all-plan will result in a sale. These McAgents wouldn’t be using this strategy if it’d didn’t make them money, however, that’s what it’s designed to do. Make them money, not you. They won’t be thinking about your ‘Love Price’. The price they’ll be thinking about will be the one to sell your property as quickly as possible. You’ll often receive less than what you ideally would’ve wanted.
That’s the last thing you want. You need an agent who understands you, your property, and the right buyer for your property. If your agent understands your property, they will, in turn, know the perfect buyer. From there, they can use the right photos, the right copy, and the right channels. When marketed correctly to the correct people, finding a person who is willing to pay your ‘Love Price’ becomes a whole lot easier.
(Credit: Hutton & Hutton) Peter Hutton’s book, The Love Price, seeks to disrupt the one-size-fits-all marketing strategy
2. Reviews are golden
When you’re looking to purchase a high-ticket item such as a television, you do a bit of research. You shop around and you have a read through the all-important reviews.
9 times out of 10 a person will trust other consumers before they trust the company selling the product. Why would you do anything differently with your real estate agent? They are the person or persons who will be handling the sale of your most expensive asset. Never have consumer reviews been more important!
There are a few places you can find agent reviews. The first is on the agent’s website. Any real estate agency worth its salt will have a page dedicated to testimonials and reviews from happy clients. Another method is to have a look at their Google reviews. You can also get a great idea of an agent’s popularity through Realestate.com.au and Ratemyagent.com.au!
(Hutton & Hutton) Customer reviews are a fantastic way to gauge expertise in choosing an agent
3. Look at experience and sales record, not commission rates
It’s understandable that many people attempt to save money where they can when selling their property. This can lead to the search for ‘cut-price’ or ‘fixed commission’ agents. While you may be saving some initial outlay, you won’t be saving in the long run.
Why? Because these agents aren’t known for achieving high sales prices. Cutting corners and doing their work on the cheap is their speciality. At Hutton & Hutton, we always suggest rather than looking to save money, our clients look at making money.
The key difference here is rather than focusing on cutting corners and pinching pennies to save a few thousand, you look at selling your property at a premium price. To do this, you need to list with an agent who is going to spend your money wisely to get the highest number of buyers through the door. More buyers = more offers. More offers = more likely to get your ‘Love Price’.
(Credit: Hutton & Hutton) Experience and skill in negotiation will get you more money long-term. Don’t cut corners, seek to make money
4. Are they asking you the right questions?
It’s fairly normal for your agent to ask questions about your property. Where is it located? How much did you purchase for? Are there any stand-out features about the property? Are there any skeletons in the closet?
However, you want to find an agent that asks questions about you too. An agent looking to get you the ‘Love Price’ is going to want to know about your motivation to sell in the first place. They’re going to ask you for your ‘Big Why’, or your main motive for selling your property.
It’s difficult to commit to a sale when you’re unsure as to why you wanted to sell. Furthermore, how can you expect your agent to be committed when you’re not all in?
An agent that wants to get to know you better and seeks to understand your motives for selling is going to be better equipped to get you the ‘Love Price’.
(Credit: Nik Macmillan on Unsplash) When choosing an agent, make sure they are invested in getting to know you
5. Boutique is better
Obviously, H & H, a boutique agency, is going to tell you boutique is better. It’s so true though! We have a number of reasons to back up this claim.
Firstly, our agents are true professionals. When building a small business, you need to know your people are the creme de la creme. Boutique agencies are often extremely selective when it comes to putting together a team, so you know you’re dealing with someone who was hand-picked for the job.
Secondly, you’re dealing with the same agent from beginning to end. The agent you list with is the agent who will handle your property 100% of the time. Open houses and callbacks can often be palmed off to assistants in larger agencies, even though you listed with a lead or principal agent. You thought you were getting an experienced and capable agent only to find out almost all the work is being handled by someone who may not be as confident. You didn’t hire the assistant, but you might as well have.
Boutique agencies like Hutton & Hutton prefer to maintain quality of service over the number of sales. So, you can rest assured your property is being looked after by the person with whom you’ve entrusted it in the first place.
Finally, boutique agencies tend to care about you on an individual level. Fewer listings mean more time to focus on you and your property. We value honesty and integrity in our work, therefore we will do everything in our power to keep you informed on the sale of your property.
At H & H, your property is the star of the show, not us.
(Credit: Hutton & Hutton) If you want to be treated as a valued individual (which you are!), make sure you look at going with a boutique agency when choosing an agent
