MAKELAARSHUIS HELMONDHow do you 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 sale price, the one with the lowest commission, or the agent who gives honest, realistic and well-founded advice? After more than twenty years of experience in the housing market of Helmond, Eindhoven and the surrounding area, we know that the right estate agent is not always the one with the most attractive promise. The right estate agent is the one who listens, gives honest advice, knows the market and delivers the best result.
Why the highest asking price is not always the best choice
Selling a home is rarely something you do on a whim. There is almost always a story behind it: moving in together, separating, relocating to another region, downsizing or upsizing. Yet many sellers make the same mistake: they choose the estate agent with the highest promised asking price or the lowest commission. That sounds attractive, but it says little about the eventual sale result. A good estate agent does not just tell you what you want to hear, but also dares to be honest.
A price that is too high works against you
A home that is put on the market at too high a price often stays for sale for too long. Buyers notice this: these days people can find out a lot, such as how long a home has been online, whether the price has been adjusted and whether there seems to be little movement. Once a house has been for sale for too long, doubt sets in. Buyers wonder why the home has not sold yet and whether something is wrong with it. And by then you are often too late: you have to lower the price, the initial selling power is gone and confidence in the home drops. That is why honest, realistic advice is often far more valuable than an estate agent who simply quotes a high price to win the instruction.
A good estate agent looks beyond just your home
Many people think an estate agent mainly looks at bricks, square metres, location and comparable homes. Those things are important, but a really good estate agent also wants to know why you are selling. Do you have all the time in the world? Then you can sometimes strategically start a little higher. Are you in a hurry and want a good result quickly? Then it may be wiser to start at a sharper price, so you attract a lot of interest straight away. The reason behind the sale helps determine the strategy. So it is not just about the home, but also about your personal situation, timing and goal.
Case study: how the wrong asking price cost viewings
An example from our own practice shows how important strategy is. We valued a home at around €375,000. But given the condition of the home, the energy label and the competition, we advised putting it on the market for €350,000. Not because we thought the home was only worth €350,000, but because we expected that sharp starting price to attract more viewers, more interest and a better final result.
On the day it was due to go on Funda, the seller decided after all to list the home for €375,000, against our advice. The result? Not a single viewing. The photos, the presentation and our approach were then called into question, while the real cause lay in the chosen pricing strategy.
After a good, honest conversation, we decided together to reposition the home. It was temporarily withdrawn and later relisted for €350,000. Then exactly what we had expected happened: viewings came flooding in. In the end, the home sold for just under €370,000. Our conviction: if the seller had followed the advice straight away, there is a good chance that €375,000 would have been achievable.
Focus on results and satisfaction, not empty promises
In the end, it is not about fine promises, but about results, client satisfaction, honest advice and a sales strategy that suits your home and your situation. When selling your home in Helmond, Eindhoven, Mierlo, Nuenen, Geldrop, Deurne, Asten, Someren, Gemert, Beek en Donk or the surrounding area, local market knowledge is hugely important. A good estate agent not only knows what comparable homes have sold for, but also understands the competition, the energy label, the condition of the home, the target group and the right moment to put it on the market.
Would you first like to know what your home is worth and which strategy suits it best? Request a free, no-obligation valuation.
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