by Neil Jenman
Reading time: Apx 4 mins
Across Australia, property prices are falling.
Anecdotally, prices are dropping faster than is widely known. Credible reports from research companies are saying that Sydney prices are now on track to fall 16% in the next 12 months. Melbourne prices are set to fall about 13%.
The other cities and regions are starting their slide downwards.
So of course, agents are going to be telling more home sellers to “meet the market”.
And those sellers that refuse to meet the market are sure to find their properties unsold – for many months, perhaps years – or they will eventually sell for a lower price in coming months.
With downturns, the story is the same: Thousands of sellers wish they accepted an earlier offer.
But here’s an important point that no agents tell sellers. Sure, you must meet the market to get your property sold. But first there is something more important.
You must meet the best agent.
In the current market, it has never been more important to find the best agent if you want to sell for the best price.
In booming markets any agent can sell any property for a huge price.
But not now.
A price slump always reveals the huge difference between masses of typical agents who pollute the property world and those rare, best agents.
Remember these 12 words (for at least 12 months – August 2026 to August 2027):
The best agent is your best chance of getting the best price.
Essentially, there are three important ways to find the best agent in a bad market.
1. BE DETERMINED. Take your time to interview as many agents as it takes to find the best agent. It is far better to spend three to four weeks searching for the right agent than to spend three to four months stuck with the wrong agent.
2. RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE. “The more you learn, the more you earn.” That’s one of the truest statements in anyone’s life. Most financial mistakes are due to ignorance. As another saying goes: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”
Your home is worth at least several hundred thousand dollars, perhaps millions of dollars.
So, get informed.
The best information available to home sellers in today’s tough market is the newly released book Questions Every Seller Must Ask.
And yes, it’s written by the person writing this article.
But, three months since its release, reports from sellers across Australia are unequivocal: This is the book that, for less than $35, will return you thousands of dollars. At least.
In many cases, sellers will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars extra for their homes by asking questions in this book.
If not, here’s a first for any property book: You can have a refund from the author – and keep the book.
As delighted sellers will attest, if you want to the best price in today’s tough market, you simply must get Questions Every Seller Must Ask. It’s essential reading.
3. MYSTERY SHOP AGENTS. An hour of work will save you months of frustration.
There is nothing worse in a tough market than being stuck with one of the worst agents.
So, how to mystery-shop an agent?
Nothing is simpler (or more important): All you do is contact agents – by email (which is how most buyers first contact agents) – and enquire about any home for sale. If the agent doesn’t have any homes for sale, that’s a clue. Don’t hire agents who nobody hires.
All you need to say is 16 words: “Please tell me more about this home – especially the price you feel the owners will accept.”
And here’s what to remember: You are looking for an agent who impresses you with their reply. First, with the speed of reply – which should be within 12 hours of your request and second, with the competence of their reply.
Once you contact an agent, one of three things will happen:
First, you will get no reply. Most agents are hopeless at contacting buyers. In a tough market, you must reject hopeless agents.
Second, you will get an annoying or stupid reply. This is almost as bad as no reply. If you get such a reply, reject such agents. No second chances. No excuses. Do not hire an incompetent agent in a tough market.
Third, you will get a reply that’s impressive. This is the only agent you should consider for the role of your agent.
At all stages, you need to ask and answer this question: Is this the sort of agent I want to be selling my home in today’s market?
Unless the answer is a sure yes, do not hire the agent.
In a tough market, all agents expect all sellers to meet the market.
And that’s fair enough.
Unless you’ve got an extraordinarily rare beachfront home, the only way to sell most homes is to meet the market price for similar homes.
But before you meet the market, take time to meet the best agent.
Good luck. You will need it.
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PS At Jenman Support, much of our working life is spent either looking for suitable agents (who agree to offer home sellers our eight protection conditions) or training those agents in how to ensure that you, the sellers, get the best possible result.
There are only a few agents that we can guarantee will do the right thing all the time.
But we can (and do) offer this guarantee with every agent: If the agent does the wrong thing during the listing and marketing period, you can sack that agent without any financial loss or further obligation.
Therefore, if you need help in finding a good agent (or you have an agent that you feel is suitable), please contact us on [email protected] or call 1800 1800 18. Thanks.
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