How to choose a real estate agent: questions for NSW sellers

Start with the same seller brief

Choosing an agent is a decision about how your sale will be managed, not just who names the highest price. Speak with more than one agent where practical. Give each the same information about the property, your preferred timing, budget, known concerns and what matters most to you. Tell them which decisions are still open.

Prepare a comparison sheet with one column per agent and rows for evidence, strategy, costs, responsibilities and terms. Date each answer and distinguish what the agent has demonstrated from what they have promised. You do not need a ranking score to spot unanswered questions or compare different approaches.

Questions about comparable-sale evidence

An appraisal is an opinion about likely buyer interest, not a guaranteed selling price. Ask the agent to explain the range using recent completed sales, rather than only current asking prices. Properties can look similar online but differ in land, condition, parking, strata costs or location.

A particularly high appraisal is not proof of dishonesty, but it needs the same scrutiny as any other estimate. Ask what evidence would lead the agent to revise it and how they would communicate a change to you.

• Which recent completed sales are most comparable, and when did they sell?
• How do those homes differ from mine, and how did you account for the differences?
• Which buyers do you expect to consider this property, and what supports that view?
• What competing listings matter now? Which parts of your appraisal are uncertain?
• If the first weeks bring little interest, what would you recommend reviewing?

• Appraisal versus independent valuation

Questions about the sale method and campaign

Ask why the proposed method fits your property and constraints. An auction can set a campaign date; a private treaty campaign can provide room for negotiation. Neither is a promise of a better price. Ask for the alternatives and the circumstances that would change the recommendation.

• Why auction, private treaty or another method for this property specifically?
• What is the campaign schedule, and what happens if it takes longer?
• How will pricing be discussed and reviewed? Who approves any change?
• What happens if an auction passes in or we receive an early offer?
• Which marketing items reach likely buyers, and what evidence supports paid upgrades?

Questions about fees and marketing costs

NSW fees, commissions and expenses are negotiable. Request a written quote with GST treatment, inclusions and payment triggers. Compare the entire proposal, not just a percentage. Ask for the maximum spending you are authorising and how additional costs will be approved.

• Is the commission percentage or fixed amount GST-inclusive, and what is its calculation basis?
• Which marketing, photography, floor-plan and auctioneer charges sit outside the fee?
• What is payable if the home does not sell, we withdraw it or the agreement ends?
• What unused spending can be refunded, and what services are already committed?
• Can I choose a smaller campaign, and what trade-offs would that involve?

• Build your itemised selling budget

Questions about people and communication

The person presenting the proposal may not run every inspection or negotiate every offer. Ask who is accountable day to day and who covers absences. Agree a practical reporting rhythm and how urgent decisions will reach you. A useful report explains buyer comments and next steps rather than only listing activity totals.

• Who handles enquiries, inspections, buyer follow-up and negotiations?
• Who will be my main contact, and who replaces them if they are unavailable?
• How often will I receive feedback, in what format and with what information?
• How will all offers and their conditions be presented so I can compare them?
• What decisions need my written approval, and how are those approvals retained?

Read the agreement before committing

An agency agreement must be signed before the agent markets the property. Review its duration, exclusivity, services, expenses, termination provisions and circumstances in which commission becomes payable. Ask your solicitor or licensed conveyancer about terms you do not understand, including potential overlapping commission claims.

The agency agreement has its own cooling-off rules, separate from a buyer’s cooling-off period under a sale contract. Do not reduce them to “24 hours”: the official NSW guidance explains the next-business-day-or-Saturday deadline, public holidays and valid waiver requirements. Check that detailed guidance before relying on a cancellation right.

Follow up vague answers, pressure to sign immediately or promises that are not put in writing. None automatically proves an agent is unsuitable, but unresolved uncertainty is a reason to pause. Keep your completed comparison, proposals and signed documents together so you can refer to what was actually agreed.

• Compare auction and private treaty