Vendor Support Centre

Selling a property is a major financial decision, yet the process of choosing an agent can sometimes be shaped by surprisingly simple signals.

A confident presentation, a high appraisal, a familiar brand or a lower commission can all influence first impressions. The difficulty is that none of those things, on their own, tell you how an agent will perform once the campaign begins.

The better approach is to treat the appointment of an agent as a professional interview. You are choosing someone to represent your property, manage buyer interest, interpret market feedback, negotiate on your behalf and help you make important decisions under pressure.

The strongest agent should therefore be able to do more than make promises. They should be able to explain their thinking, support their recommendations and show you how they intend to manage the sale from launch through to completion.

1. What percentage of the properties you list actually sell?

A busy agent is not automatically an effective agent.

Listing volume can demonstrate market presence, but sellers should also understand how consistently those listings convert into completed sales.

Ask how many properties the agent has personally listed over the past six to twelve months, how many sold, how many were withdrawn and how many remain on the market.

• ●How many properties did you personally list?
• ●How many successfully sold?
• ●How many were withdrawn or remain unsold?
• ●What was the typical time on market?
• ●How do those results compare with similar properties?

The figures still need context. Property type, price range, location and market conditions can all influence results. The objective is not to find a perfect statistic, but to understand whether the agent can demonstrate a consistent record rather than simply point to a large number of listings.

What you are looking for: Verifiable performance and a willingness to discuss both successful and unsuccessful campaigns.

2. How accurate have your previous property appraisals been?

It is natural to be attracted to the agent who provides the highest appraisal. Sellers want to believe their property will achieve the strongest possible price.

But an appraisal should be treated as an evidence based opinion, not a promise.

Ask the agent to show how they arrived at their estimate and which comparable sales support it. More importantly, ask how their recent appraisals compared with the prices those properties eventually achieved.

• ●Which comparable sales support your estimate?
• ●How have your recent sale prices compared with your original appraisals?
• ●What factors could cause the result to be higher or lower?
• ●How would you respond if buyer feedback pointed to a different value?

An agent who is prepared to explain uncertainty can often be more useful than one who presents the highest number with the greatest confidence.

What you are looking for: A reasoned appraisal supported by evidence, not simply the most attractive figure.

3. What is your strategy for selling my property?

A strong property campaign should be designed around the property, the likely buyer and the conditions in which the property is being sold.

Ask the agent to explain the strategy from the buyer's point of view. Who are they trying to attract? Where are those buyers likely to discover the property? What will encourage them to inspect, enquire, register, make an offer or participate in an auction?

• ●Who is the most likely buyer for this property?
• ●Which marketing channels will you prioritise, and why?
• ●How will you turn enquiries into genuine buyer engagement?
• ●What will you do differently if the early response is weaker than expected?

This is also where sellers can test whether the agent's strategy is genuinely tailored or simply a standard marketing package with the address changed.

What you are looking for: Clear reasoning behind the campaign, not a list of advertising products.

4. How will you create genuine competition between buyers?

Generating attention is only one part of a successful campaign. The more difficult task is turning interest into participation.

Buyer psychology matters here. People become more decisive when the process is clear, when they understand what happens next and when they can see that other genuine buyers are also engaged.

Ask how the agent follows up enquiries, qualifies serious interest, communicates deadlines and manages situations where several parties want to proceed at the same time.

• ●How will you identify genuinely interested buyers?
• ●How will you follow up after inspections and enquiries?
• ●How will you keep serious buyers engaged throughout the campaign?
• ●How do you manage multiple buyers fairly and consistently?
• ●What options are available for buyers who cannot attend in person?

For auction campaigns, this may include digital registration, livestreaming and remote bidding through a platform such as Auctions Live. For private treaty, expressions of interest, tender or deadline campaigns, structured offer management through a platform such as Offers Live can help create a clearer process for buyers and sellers.

The technology itself is not the strategy. The important question is whether the agent has a deliberate process for converting attention into genuine competition.

What you are looking for: An agent who understands the difference between attracting buyers and actively managing buyer participation.

5. Why are you recommending this method of sale?

There is no single selling method that is automatically right for every property.

Auctions, private treaty negotiations, expressions of interest, tenders and deadline campaigns can all be effective in the right circumstances. What matters is why the agent believes a particular approach suits your property and your objectives.

• ●Why does this method suit my property?
• ●How does it suit the likely buyer audience?
• ●What are the advantages and potential drawbacks?
• ●What alternatives did you consider?
• ●What is the contingency plan if the first strategy does not perform as expected?

A credible agent should be able to explain why the recommendation suits the property, rather than simply steering every seller towards the method they personally prefer.

What you are looking for: A considered recommendation that connects the selling method to your property, timeline and likely buyer behaviour.

6. How strong are your negotiation skills, and can you demonstrate them?

Marketing creates opportunities. Negotiation often determines how effectively those opportunities are converted.

Rather than asking an agent whether they are a strong negotiator, ask them to explain how they have handled real situations.

• ●Tell me about a sale where your negotiation strategy materially influenced the outcome.
• ●How do you respond when an offer arrives below expectations?
• ●How do you manage competing offers?
• ●How do you determine whether a buyer is genuinely able to proceed?
• ●How do you weigh price against conditions, timing and certainty?

The strongest offer is not always the offer with the highest number attached to it. Conditions, finance, timing and the probability of completion can all affect the quality of an offer.

What you are looking for: Practical judgement, clear examples and an ability to explain the reasoning behind difficult negotiation decisions.

7. How will technology improve my selling experience?

Most sellers now expect technology to play a role in the campaign, but access to software is not the same as effective use of it.

The better question is what the technology will help the agent, the buyers and you as the seller do more clearly.

• ●How will buyer enquiries and inspections be tracked?
• ●How are offers, registrations or expressions of interest recorded?
• ●Will buyers be able to participate remotely where appropriate?
• ●What reporting or campaign visibility will I receive?
• ●How will the agent make sure important buyer information is not lost across calls, messages and inspections?

Modern buyers research properties across multiple channels. They may first discover a property through a portal, social media, search, an agency website, an email alert or a shared link. That means digital visibility and a consistent path from discovery to participation are increasingly important.

For sellers, useful technology should create better visibility, cleaner records and more confidence in what is happening during the campaign.

What you are looking for: Technology that supports the selling process in a practical way, rather than software being presented as a feature for its own sake.

8. What happens if the campaign does not attract the interest we expect?

Almost every listing presentation sounds convincing when the conversation is centred on the ideal outcome.

A more revealing discussion is what the agent intends to do when the market responds differently.

• ●At what point would you consider the campaign to be underperforming?
• ●Which indicators would you monitor?
• ●How would you separate a pricing issue from a marketing or demand issue?
• ●What adjustments could be made?
• ●How would you present those recommendations to me?

A capable agent should be able to review the available evidence, explain what they think it means and recommend a response without defaulting immediately to the simplest answer.

What you are looking for: Accountability, adaptability and a structured process for making decisions when conditions change.

9. Who will actually manage my sale, and how will we communicate?

The person presenting to you may not be the person handling every enquiry, inspection, buyer conversation or negotiation.

That is not necessarily a problem. Strong teams can be highly effective. What matters is that you understand who is responsible for what.

• ●Who will be my main point of contact?
• ●Who will conduct inspections?
• ●Who will communicate with serious buyers?
• ●Who will negotiate offers?
• ●How often will I receive updates, and what will those updates include?

This is also an opportunity to understand how transparent the campaign will feel from the seller's side. Will you receive useful buyer feedback and structured reporting, or will you need to chase the team to understand what is happening?

What you are looking for: Clear accountability and a communication process that keeps you informed without creating unnecessary noise.

10. What am I paying for, and how will you demonstrate value?

Commission and marketing costs matter, but the lowest fee is not automatically the best value. Equally, a higher fee does not prove that the service will be better.

Ask the agent to clearly explain what you are paying for and how each part of the proposed service contributes to the campaign.

• ●How is the commission calculated?
• ●What marketing and advertising costs apply?
• ●Are there any additional services or third party costs?
• ●When do payments become due?
• ●What costs may still apply if the property does not sell?
• ●What are the important terms of the agency agreement?

Then ask one final question: what do you believe I am receiving from you that I may not receive from another agent?

A good answer should be specific. It may relate to market knowledge, negotiation, buyer relationships, campaign structure, communication, technology or the experience of the team. It should not simply rely on brand recognition or broad claims about service.

What you are looking for: Transparent pricing and a clear explanation of how the service creates value.

Do not just listen to the answers. Evaluate the evidence.

The purpose of interviewing agents is not to find the person who gives the most polished presentation. It is to understand which agent can most credibly demonstrate how they will manage your sale.

Where possible, ask to see examples.

• ●Relevant recent sales.
• ●Comparable property evidence.
• ●Sample campaign reports.
• ●Examples of buyer communication.
• ●An explanation of how auction bidding or structured offers are managed.

Digital proof can be particularly useful because it moves the conversation away from broad claims and towards visible process. A seller can better understand what the agent will actually do, what information they will receive and how buyer activity will be managed.

The best agent interview is not about finding the person who sounds the most confident. It is about finding the person who can clearly explain their strategy, show the evidence behind it and give the seller confidence that every genuine buyer will be properly managed.

Anthony Nounnis, Director of RE Software - Auctions Live | Offers Live

It is recommended to interview atleast two or three agents using the same core questions. That makes it easier to compare the quality of their reasoning rather than being influenced by presentation style alone.

A simple agent comparison scorecard

You can make the decision more objective by rating each agent from 1 to 5 across the areas that matter most to you.

• ●Sales performance: Consistency and verifiable results.
• ●Appraisal quality: Market knowledge and supporting evidence.
• ●Marketing strategy: Relevance of the proposed campaign.
• ●Buyer engagement: Ability to attract, qualify and retain interest.
• ●Negotiation: Experience, judgement and demonstrated examples.
• ●Technology: Accessibility, transparency and useful reporting.
• ●Communication: Availability, accountability and responsiveness.
• ●Adaptability: A practical plan for unexpected challenges.
• ●Fees and value: Transparent costs and clearly explained services.
• ●Overall confidence: Trust, professionalism and suitability.

Not every category needs to carry the same weight. If you have a strict timeframe, communication and execution may matter more. If the property is unusual, strategy and market knowledge may deserve greater emphasis. If the likely buyer pool is geographically broad, digital accessibility may become more important.

Five warning signs worth recognising

No single warning sign automatically means an agent is unsuitable, but the following behaviours are worth exploring further.

• ●An unusually high appraisal without supporting evidence. An attractive estimate has limited value if the reasoning behind it cannot be explained.
• ●Reluctance to discuss unsuccessful campaigns. Experienced professionals should be comfortable discussing what did not work and what they learned.
• ●A generic marketing presentation. Your campaign should reflect the property, target audience and market conditions.
• ●Unclear communication arrangements. You should understand who is responsible and how you will be kept informed.
• ●Pressure to sign before you understand the agreement. You should have the opportunity to review the terms and seek independent advice where appropriate.

The most important decision is not who promises the highest price

Choosing an agent involves more than comparing commissions, appraisals and marketing presentations.

You are choosing the person or team that will represent your interests to the market, communicate with prospective buyers, interpret feedback, manage competition and negotiate on your behalf.

The strongest choice is usually the agent who can combine market knowledge with a clear strategy, disciplined buyer management, strong communication and professional accountability.

You should finish the interview feeling informed, not simply impressed.

The objective is not to find the person who tells you what you most want to hear. It is to identify the professional who can most clearly demonstrate how they intend to help you achieve the best available outcome from the market.

Disclaimer: This article provides general educational information only. Property sale practices, contractual requirements and legal obligations vary between locations. Sellers should seek independent professional advice where appropriate.