7 Questions to Ask Your Agent if You Are Struggling to Sell.
Your home is still on the market for sale, are you still receiving a good level of enquiries and viewings?
The first couple of months your home is on the market are usually the time you get the most interest and potentially the best offers, so it’s especially important now to keep the level of interest and number of viewings of your property as high as possible.
We have 7 questions you can ask your agent to find out why it hasn't sold so far, and what you can do about it.
A good agent will be able to answer all seven - let's see how many your agent can answer.
Question 1
Who have you sent our brochure out to? - to what kind of buyers? How many had asked specifically for your property details, and how many had been sent out to their mailing list? How many did they print, and how many do they have left?
Question 2
Can you show me our Rightmove Performance Report and your analysis? - (see my blog post Your
Rightmove Property Performance Report) Most agents these days can provide you with one, but can they analyse it? If they can't - send it to me! I'll tell you what you need to know.
Question 3
Can you change our main image and test the results? - if your online activity is low, I'd suggest you change your main house shot. However, this is only useful to you if you can then measure the results. If it doesn't improve your statistics, try another, and keep trying until you get the click-through rate you need (see post as above). Sometimes, a fresh new image improves your rate temporarily, so try changing it regularly to keep your results as high as possible.
Question 4
What did our viewers buy? - this is a great one! Your agent should be keeping in touch with your viewers to discover what they eventually went on to buy. By doing this, you can build up a picture of the types of buyers looking at your house. For example, if they went on to buy a completely different style of property, it could be that your marketing is appealing to the wrong target market. If they bought somewhere very similar, you need to compete better. Even the best agents need nudging to find out this information, so nudge!
Question 5
What's happening on any comparable properties? - who is achieving viewings, and who isn't? Which houses have been reduced in price, and has this made any difference? Which are under offer, after how long, and at what kind of value? If you aren't getting viewings and everyone else is, ask why!
Question 6
How do you think our marketing can be improved? - ask your agent for a marketing review, and analyse as dispassionately as you can, your brochure, photography and online advert. Identify areas that can be improved, and make sure they are acted upon.
Question 7
Why hasn't our house sold - other than the price? - I have often asked agents this question, and listened to them trying to come up with an answer. The truth is, there are often several reasons, and it's highly likely that none of those reasons will be the asking price!
Ask your agent for constructive ways you can help him to attract viewers, and make sure they knows they can be honest. If he can't come up with anything, call me, and I'll tell you!
What Next?
When you've asked your agent these questions, please drop me a line and let me know how they scored!
I'd love to hear from you.
Please feel free to give us a call on 01283 537120 or pop in to the office if you’d like to have a no obligation chat about how to get the best offer for your home in a timescale that suits you.
Get in touch with us uisng the "Get in touch with us" contact form on this page.