MAKELAARSHUIS HELMONDHow to choose the right estate agent for your home? Honest advice from 20 years of experience
Anyone who wants to sell their home soon faces an important question: how do you choose the right estate agent? Do you go for the agent who promises the highest selling price, the lowest fee, or the one who advises honestly, realistically and with good reasoning? After more than twenty years in the housing market of Helmond, Eindhoven and the surrounding area, we know that the right agent is not always the one with the nicest promise. The right agent is the one who listens, advises honestly, knows the market and delivers the best result.
Why the highest asking price is not always the best choice
Many sellers make the same mistake: they choose the agent with the highest promised asking price or the lowest fee. That sounds attractive, but it says little about the eventual result. A good agent does not only tell you what you want to hear, but dares to be honest. A home that is priced too high often stays on the market too long, and buyers notice. These days people can easily find out how long a property has been listed and whether the price has been reduced.
A price that is too high works against you
Once a house has been for sale too long, doubt sets in. Buyers wonder why it has not sold and whether something is wrong with it. By then you are often too late: you have to lower the price, the initial momentum is gone and confidence in the property drops. That is why honest, realistic advice is usually far more valuable than an agent who simply shouts a high price to win the assignment.
A good agent looks beyond your home
A truly good agent also wants to know why you are selling. Do you have plenty of time? Then you can sometimes set a slightly higher strategic price. Are you in a hurry and want a good result quickly? Then it can be wiser to start sharper, so you attract a lot of interest immediately. The reason behind the sale partly determines the strategy. It is not only about the property, but also about your personal situation, planning and goal.
A real example: how the wrong asking price cost viewings
We once valued a home at around 375,000 euro. But given its condition, the energy label and the competition, we advised the seller to put it on the market at 350,000 euro, not because we thought it was only worth that, but because we expected the sharper starting price to attract more viewers and a better final result. On the day of listing, the seller chose 375,000 euro anyway, against our advice. The result was zero viewings. After an honest conversation we repositioned the home at 350,000 euro, and the viewings came flooding in. It eventually sold for just under 370,000 euro. Our conviction: had the seller followed the advice immediately, 375,000 euro might well have been achievable.
Look at results and satisfaction, not empty promises
In the end it is not about nice promises, but about results, client satisfaction, honest advice and a strategy that suits your home and your situation. Local market knowledge is essential: a good agent knows not only what comparable homes have sold for, but also understands the competition, the energy label, the condition, the target group and the right moment to come to market.
Would you like to know what your home is worth and which strategy fits best? Request a free, no-obligation valuation.
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