It’s worth getting a pro to sell your home

Selling a home for the first time can be complicated and overwhelming. Having a reliable real estate agent at your side could substantially affect how smoothly the process runs.

“Real estate agents will not only help you price the home correctly and find qualified buyers for your home, but they can also provide helpful information around current market trends, translate industry jargon, negotiate on your behalf, and often recommend adjacent services such as bond originators and moving companies.

“The sooner you bring them on board, the better,” says Adrian Goslett, the regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.

With so much riding on choosing the right professional for this task, it can be challenging for a first-time seller to know how to select the right agent. To help make this journey easier, RE/MAX of Southern Africa shares these tips.

• Find reliable recommendations
Nothing beats a recommendation from somebody you trust. If nobody in your inner circle has sold recently, look around to see which agent sells the most homes in your area.

You can usually tell by their yard signs and marketing presence who does the most business in an area. Online client reviews and testimonials can also indicate an agent’s level of service delivery.

• Set up an ‘interview’
To ensure you’re a compatible match, it can help to meet the agent in person (or virtually if you’re coming in from far away). Before this meeting, an agent might ask for a copy of your ID as a safety precaution – this is normal and can indicate this agent is thorough and well-prepared.

When meeting with them, here are a few questions worth asking:
• Are they a full-time real estate agent?
• How long have they worked as one, and in what market?
• What are their preferred communication platforms, and how regularly can you expect updates from them?
• What will they charge in commission, and how negotiable are they on it?
• Check their credentials

One should always remain vigilant against con artists and ensure agents are who they claim to be. Ask them to share a copy of their Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC) licence to check their registration with the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority that regulates the industry.