Choosing a New Zealand agent to sell your house quickly and for the best price can be complicated. Some will offer you low fees or give an impressively high property valuation, but these can be red flags.
While two thirds of recent home movers told us they were satisfied with the service they received from their estate agent in our 2015 property survey, one in six were dissatisfied – so it’s important that you do your research before choosing an agent.
Look in the local newspaper and online, but also drive or walk around your area to see which agents are marketing other flats and houses in your neighbourhood.
Also, speak to friends, family members and neighbours to see if they can recommend an estate agent.
Once you’ve identified a few recommended companies that are selling properties similar to yours, visit their offices. For a true idea of how hard they’d work to sell your property if you were to market with them, you could pretend to be a buyer interested in properties like your own and see how helpful the staff are.
”Search for an agent that is experienced in selling property like yours - they will have a good pool of potential buyers and know what people are looking for in a property.
Top TopComparity New Zealand
Choosing the best estate agent
Use comparity.co.nz to shortlist three potential estate agents and invite each to give you a property valuation.
Make sure you check exactly what services each estate agent offers. For example:
- Will they conduct viewings, or will you have to?
- What marketing materials will they prepare (eg floorplans, photographs, online tours)?
- How many relevant buyers do they have on their books, and will they tell them about your property?
- Will they provide a ‘for sale’ board?
It’s important that you check which property portals they will advertise your property on – trademe is far the most popular New Zealand property listing site.Â
Check the performance of your New Zealand Real estate agent
Invite your shortlisted estate agents to your home to discuss their offer and conduct a valuation. This is a good opportunity for you to ask them some further questions to help find the best estate agent to sell your home, such as:
- How quickly do they sell homes in New Zealand? What’s their track record with achieving the asking price?
- What is their reasoning behind the value they’re proposing to market your property at?
- Will details of your property be shared with their colleagues? It’s good if more than one person in the office can talk enthusiastically and with knowledge about your property
- What would they do if your property was not selling as quickly or at the price you expected?
- Are they open at weekends? A surprising number of agents only work during the week, and perhaps do half day on Saturday, which means they are less accessible to potential buyers
Find out more on mortgages here
Wanting to rent out your property? Find a property management company here.Â
