What Questions Should I Ask a Real Estate Agent Before Selling?

Here’s something worth remembering. When an agent comes to appraise your home, they’re not just assessing your property, you’re assessing them. Most sellers forget that second part entirely. Let’s fix that with a proper list of questions that actually reveal something useful.

Why the Right Questions Matter More Than the Right Answers

1. What You’re Really Testing in That Meeting

You’re not there to hear a price number. You’re there to find out whether this agent genuinely understands your property, your street, and current buyer behavior. Anyone can quote a figure confidently. Far fewer can back it up with specific local evidence and a clear plan for achieving it.

2. Why Most Sellers Don’t Ask Enough

Plenty of sellers treat the appraisal as a formality and sign with whoever seems friendliest. That’s a bit like hiring the first candidate who interviews well without checking a single reference. Given how much money rides on this decision, thirty minutes of proper questioning is genuinely time well spent.

Questions About Pricing and Local Knowledge

1. How Did You Arrive at This Price?

Ask for the reasoning, not just the number. A well prepared agent will walk you through specific recent sales with actual addresses, prices, and dates, explaining how your property compares to each. Vague reassurance without evidence is a warning sign worth taking seriously.

2. What Have Comparable Properties Actually Sold For?

Ask how quickly comparable properties sold and whether the final price landed close to the original guide. Real estate agents Subiaco sellers genuinely trust tend to show a consistent pattern between what they quote and what they actually achieve, rather than a habit of significant reductions partway through a campaign.

Questions About Marketing and Buyer Reach

1. What’s Included in the Marketing Package?

Ask exactly what’s covered and what costs extra. Photography, floor plans, signage, and portal listings should all be itemised clearly rather than bundled into one vague figure. A low commission paired with an unexpectedly large marketing invoice isn’t the bargain it first appears.

2. How Will You Reach Buyers Beyond the Portals?

This is where genuinely strong agents separate themselves from average ones.

Digital Advertising and Listing Placement

Ask how your listing will be positioned across major portals and whether targeted digital advertising forms part of the strategy. A property sitting quietly on one portal without additional promotion rarely generates the competitive interest that drives a strong final price.

Buyer Databases and Off-Market Reach

Ask whether they maintain an active buyer database and whether pre-qualified buyers will be approached directly before your property goes live publicly. Established agents working across real estate Subiaco WA offers often have genuine buyer networks that can produce offers before a listing even hits the open market.

Questions About Fees, Process and Communication

1. What Will This Cost Me in Total?

Get a complete written breakdown covering commission, marketing, and any other fees before signing anything. Perth commission typically sits between 2.0% and 2.5%, while Subiaco specifically has historically seen rates closer to 1.6% given strong local property values and competition among agencies.

2. How Often Will You Update Me?

Ask how frequently you’ll receive feedback and through what method. You shouldn’t have to chase your agent after every home open. An agent who volunteers this information unprompted is usually one who’ll handle the rest of your campaign the same way.

Our Final Word on Interviewing Your Agent

Selling your home is too significant a decision to hand over based on a confident pitch alone. Push for specifics on pricing, demand clarity on what marketing actually includes, get every fee laid out in writing, and pay close attention to how transparently each question gets answered. Anyone selling within real estate Subiaco WA currently offers should be comparing at least two or three agents against these questions rather than signing with the first one through the door. The real estate agents Subiaco sellers ultimately choose should welcome this scrutiny, since the ones genuinely confident in their track record have nothing to hide from a direct question.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What’s the single most important question to ask a real estate agent before selling?
   Ask how they arrived at their suggested price and insist on genuine comparable sales evidence. This one question reveals more about their local knowledge and preparation than almost any other.
2. Should I get multiple appraisals before choosing an agent?
   Yes, comparing at least two or three agents gives you a clearer sense of realistic pricing and helps you identify inflated quotes designed purely to win your listing rather than reflect market reality.
3. What should I ask about marketing costs?
   Ask for an itemised breakdown covering photography, floor plans, signage, and portal fees, and confirm whether these are charged separately from commission and payable regardless of whether the property sells.
4. How much commission should I expect to pay in Subiaco?
   Rates across real estate Subiaco WA have historically sat closer to 1.6%, somewhat below the broader Perth average of 2.0% to 2.5%, though commission remains negotiable between seller and agency.
5. How often should an agent update me during the campaign?
   A proactive agent should provide feedback within a day or two of each home open without needing to be chased, sharing genuine buyer responses rather than vague reassurance.