Choosing the right real estate agent is always a challenge. Are they going to know how to sell your home? Have they sold something similar recently? What photographs will they take? Are they going to handle viewings or will they expect you to be there?

Phi Dang from Our Local Agent, Melbourne’s south east suburbs, answers all of those questions and more.

1. Communication

Real estate agents should be able to converse with everyone and anyone, no matter who their client is. They have to develop an in-depth knowledge of their specific area and they need to have sales to give their claims some credence.

The first quality that a real estate agent should have is the quality of communication. They are likely to be dealing with all kinds of people in their chosen area, and they should be able to connect with all of them. If the agent themselves is shy or unforthcoming, they may be less likely to be able to close a sale. As the real estate market operates on a time-sensitive basis, an agent should be able to keep the seller up to date with anything happening on their sale, or alert buying clients to properties of interest.

2. Proactive

A good real estate agent must be proactive. Ideally, real estate agents should be contacting probable buyers, offering the property to existing customers and generally marketing it to ensure a sale. That means matching existing customers to the property, and actively marketing it to new customers as well as being aware of potential sales coming to market. Phi Dang has been mentioned as a real estate agent who is proactive and listens to his clients. He knows all the open houses to which he has access and puts the right clients forward to attend these.

3. They listen

The other side of active marketing is that real estate agents often have to listen to their clients, both sellers and buyers. Your real estate agent must be questioning and listening to both sides, matching a seller to a buyer and making both parties very happy. They must know when to talk up a property and when to listen to someone looking for just the right place to buy. They must also know what to emphasize to any potential buyer to pique their interest, but won’t bore them to death trying to sell an unsuitable property. The trick is to know when to talk and when to listen. Ideally, customers on both sides should be given the time to explain their needs to the agent so that sellers can be matched to the ideal buyer and buyers can be matched to their preferred property. The agent should question the client until they have a clear idea of what they expect.

The agent should also be skilled in the art of adapting their approach, because their clients will all be different. Some may prefer a phone call to alert them to a suitable property or buyer interest. Others may prefer notification by email or text message.

4. The Real Estate Agent know their local area

It is important for your real estate agent knows their local area and all its quirks. A good agent will be able to answer queries about local transport links, activities, unusual local laws and more.

Your agent should know which areas appeal to certain buyers, where particular nationalities tend to cluster and the average prices for different types of property within their area. They will know where the desirable schools are; the best places for commuters to live; and whether a location is lively or quiet.

5. They understand their client’s problems/motivation for selling

Because a good real estate agent knows how to listen, they will find themselves hearing all kinds of details relevant to the sale. In most cases they will quickly learn your motivation for selling, as well as some of the history behind your decision. They are problem solvers and they need to give a clear and structured strategy to achieving your real estate needs.

6. Tech savvy

A real estate agent these days needs to be able to leverage technology to improve their chances of making a sale. That means being able to effectively market properties online, keep in touch with clients via email or text as well as by phone calls, take great photographs and have a social media presence to find new business.

Being a real estate agent isn’t just about taking people to properties and securing sales. These days a sale rests as much on the online profile of the property as it does on the actual look of the property itself. Technology can help market a difficult sale – the use of unusual or intriguing photographs, sympathetic views, well lit images, a great write up and even the use of hashtags can bring a quick sale just as much as the right price.

7. How involved is their team?

Real Estate agents who work as a team not only bounce ideas off each other, they also learn from each other and can work together to sell a property. There will always be someone else around to take phone calls if a buyer rings and with a diverse team they can leverage the language expertise from another colleague in the office. Choosing a real estate agent that is part of a large team who all work together, will help you achieve a better outcome on your home.

8. Their reputation

Ideally an estate agent should be able to provide references from their last 20 clients. If they have just started out in the business, this may not be possible, of course, but an established Real Estate Agent is likely to have a list of clients who they have helped in the last few months, and will be more than willing to share their thoughts on working with them.

These eight qualities are what every home owner should be looking for in their agent. That way, they will achieve the best outcome when selling your property.

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