With your heart set on moving up the property ladder, it’s now time to find an agent who’ll get you a great price for your current property and help you find your next home.
You should already be feeling armed and dangerous with pre-approved finance that sets out your budget for turning your dream home into a reality.
Now you need an agent who you can trust and communicate with easily.
You need to have confidence in your agent’s experience, know their track record of selling properties similar to yours and have a good understanding of how their negotiating skills give you the best shot at getting the highest price.
As general advice, you might begin your search by seeking personal referrals from family and friends. Word of mouth is always the most trusted form of endorsement, but always validate everything you’re told. As an agent who is known to you, I’d be happy to help you navigate the next steps of your property journey.
Once you’ve done your due diligence, I believe you should focus on the core attributes of what makes a great agent. Here are six traits of professional real estate agents that I personally work hard to uphold:
- Honesty – A great agent is open and honest in response to your expectations of price, and the time on market for your property.
- Trusted adviser – I’ll suggest pre-sale improvements to the property that will have a positive impact on the price to be achieved. I’ll also share feedback from prospective buyers and offer context for any necessary response.
- Professionalism – I am a clear, concise and regular communicator. I possess strong negotiation skills and have the ability to pre-empt buyer needs and fears. Empathy for your anxiety as a seller is foremost in our approach. I’ll make sure you know I am on your side.
- Skilful marketer – Good agents know how to market a property. I understand the power of great photography and will invest in the marketing required to get a sale at a desirable price and in a reasonable timeframe.
- Thoughtful – I’ll be attentive to your needs and those of prospective buyers and their agents.
- After-sales care – Awesome agents stay in touch with you after the sale to make sure you were satisfied with the outcome of the campaign and how it was conducted and keep you updated on the market.