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Brody Willis

Real Estate Sales Person Goulburn First National

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Blog · November 7, 2019

MYSTERY SHOP THE AGENT

The selection of the selling agent is usually decided upon from an interview and/or a sales proposal process.

Whether it’s an interview or a sales proposal that you are using to determine your agent, neither actually shows the agent in action.

Agents are fully rehearsed with scripts and dialogues to ensure a slick presentation when they are being interviewed by sellers.

Given you are employing an agent to market, sell and negotiate the sale of your home, it is worth seeing them in action. To gain a true perspective of the agents you are considering, mystery shop them as a buyer.

When you mystery shop the agent, ask a few probing questions. You will quickly gain an insight into whether you want that agent representing you.

Questions such as ‘why hasn’t the property sold yet?’ or ‘do you have sales evidence to justify the price guide?’ can garner surprising answers.

Every agent will find it easy to hold the line with a new listing that has a lot of interest in it. However, you will get a better perspective of the agent’s ability if you mystery shop them on one of their failed auctions or struggling campaigns.

Look for clues as to whether the agent is protecting their client’s interests or breaching confidence.

The best agents are the best at protecting their clients, even when the campaign is not going to script. A dangerous agent for the seller is one that becomes desperate when the campaign does not go as expected.

All agents look good when there are 3 buyers trying to buy 1 house. How does that same agent look when the property has failed at auction, the advertising money has been spent (wasted) and the crowds have stopped turning up to the open inspection?

What you want to see when you mystery shop an agent?

Available and follow up – In order to mystery shop an agent, you first want one that is available. Does the agent respond to messages? It is a phenomenon in real estate that the stronger the market, the worse the service buyers receive from agents. Essentially, in a boom, service to buyers goes down as agents’ advertising for buyers goes up!

Does the agent follow up and follow through? If you asked for information, did they get it to you? Were you followed up after the inspection for feedback and a second inspection? Were you informed of similar properties being listed the week after you inspected? Is a senior or listing agent handling your enquiry or was it the office junior that started in real estate last week? Once you mystery shop an agent, what happens from that point can offer all of the information you need to make a listing decision.

Enthusiasm – Was the agent enthusiastic about the property and you as a buyer?

Knowledge – The best agents have thorough knowledge of the property and the local area. If there is a question the agent cannot answer on the spot, the agent chases the answer and responds.

Assertiveness – Look for agents that are pleasant but assertive. When you ask probing questions to test the agents, they confidently and assertively protect their clients. A pleasant pleaser won’t help you when the negotiating gets down to the pointy end of proceedings.

What you don’t want to see when you mystery shop an agent

Personal details disclosed – If you walk into an inspection and leave feeling as though you know the owners life story, because the agent divulged all, that’s not a good thing. It is a terrible betrayal actually. When you are mystery shopping agents, ask probing questions of the agent to see how they handle them.

If you find out that the owners are selling because ‘the job loss caused financial difficulties that led to stress in the marriage, that saw one of the owners begin an affair which was the cause of the divorce’ then don’t hire the agent.

Short, rude or unavailable – The best sales – people know that the next enquiry could be the best buyer. Conversely, if the agent is abrasive and pre-judges buyers, they are likely to turn buyers off the home.

What other buyers have offered – Some agents will freely disclose the offers that have been made by other buyers this breeds instant mistrust in buyers. If offers are disclosed to you, expect yours to be disclosed to others. An agent that freely discloses offers during the campaign is effectively running a ‘Dutch auction’.

The property will be ‘sold to the buyer that offers the best price’ is a simple and assertive response that negates a messy Dutch auction.

There are many elements to selecting the right agent. The most dangerous (and lazy) selection method is to request 3 agents to inspect your home and send a written sales proposal through.

Given $10,000 or $20,000 can be easily made, won or lost by the agent during the campaign, it is worth finding the right agent.

By Peter O’Malley
Author of Inside Real Estate

Are you interested in reading Inside Real Estate by Peter O’Malley? Contact us to receive your free copy. Email: mail@goulburnre.com.au or call 02 4822 8711

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Previous Post: « RELAY FOR LIFE 2019

Blog · November 7, 2019

MYSTERY SHOP THE AGENT

MYSTERY SHOP THE AGENT

The selection of the selling agent is usually decided upon from an interview and/or a sales proposal process. Whether it’s an interview or a sales proposal that you are using to determine your agent, neither actually shows the agent in action. Agents are fully rehearsed with scripts and …

Continue Reading

Blog · November 4, 2019

RELAY FOR LIFE 2019

RELAY FOR LIFE

On the weekend of the 2nd & 3rd November we saw yet another successful turnout for Cancer Council’s Relay For Life. This has been our 4th year supporting Relay For Life & we are so proud to be a part of it. This year the committee announced that 33 teams & 307 people registered. …

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Blog · October 30, 2019

HAVE YOU BEEN OUT ON A BUCK’S NIGHT? THE QUESTIONS BANKS ARE ASKING

BUCK’S NIGHT

Mortgage brokers have been asking some highly intrusive questions in the wake of the banking royal commission. With banks tightening their criteria for lending to Australians, brokers have reported asking more personal questions. Pro Solution Private Clients associate director Jodie McKeown, …

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Blog · October 23, 2019

THE ‘HEART BUYER’

THE HEART BUYER

The location is ideal, it has the right number of bedrooms and living spaces, the yard is great – it feels like the perfect home. Occasionally, a buyer matches a property to perfection. This buyer is going to live in the property. It will become their home. There is an instant and strong …

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Blog · October 17, 2019

SHOULD I BUY NOW OR WAIT UNTIL THE FIRST HOME LOAN DEPOSIT SCHEME STARTS?

SHOULD I BUY NOW

As you slog away, saving the deposit for your first home, it’s difficult not to get excited when new government incentives are announced. From the First Home Owner’s Grant, introduced in 2000, to the First Home Super Saver Scheme of the 2018 Federal budget, Australian first home buyers can hardly …

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Blog · October 10, 2019

AGENT’S TRICKS TO CREATE VENDOR MOTIVATION

AGENT'S TRICKS TO CREATE VENDOR MOTIVATION

If you want above market price for your property, agents have a number of tricks to bring you back into line. Some of these tactics are subtle, others are more transparent. Either way, when you know what they are, you stand some chance of protecting yourself. Pre-auction low offer – If you …

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Blog · October 3, 2019

LOOK BEYOND FEES FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT

LOOK BEYOND FEES FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT

Majority of property investors spend too little time assessing the skills of their property manager and need to look beyond fees when choosing who will manage their investment portfolio. The commitment required to effectively maintain properties, quality client relations, legislative compliance, …

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Blog · September 26, 2019

FLAWED REAL ESTATE STRATEGIES 4/4: PUBLIC AUCTION – BUYERS

Auction

Inspired by Andrew TrimAuthor of Real Estate Dangers While the public auction method certainly costs the seller both financially and emotionally, the buyer is also deceived. Transparency only applies on auction day. During the lead up to a public auction, the lack of transparency of the process …

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Blog · September 19, 2019

FLAWED REAL ESTATE STRATEGIES 3/4: PUBLIC AUCTION

PUBLIC AUCTION

By Andrew TrimAuthor of Real Estate Dangers For most agents, public auctions are all about advertising revenue and personal profile. Public auctions are promoted widely throughout the real estate industry and major media organisations. You can’t have a public auction without the significant spend …

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CONTACT

0428 425 459

brody@goulburnre.com.au

OFFICE

02 4822 8711

www.goulburnrealestate.com.au

LOCATION

148 Auburn Street

Goulburn, NSW

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