An agent tells you they can get far more for your home than everyone else. Of course you want to believe them. Who wouldn’t? But before you sign, ask yourself: are they pricing your home, or trying to win your business?
Selling you the dream
It can go like this. You speak to a few agents and their price opinions are fairly close. Then one comes along with a much bigger number. They tell you what you want to hear, and suddenly you’re imagining what that extra money could mean for your next move.
You get excited. You sign the paperwork. You think, “Let’s give it a go. Maybe they really can get more than the others.”
The problem is when that number was never backed by the market in the first place. An inflated appraisal can win an agent the listing, but it cannot make buyers pay that price.
Then the conversation changes
The property goes online. The first open home is quiet, perhaps no one comes through. Now the agent who was so confident about the price starts telling you it needs to come down.
Then down again. Before long, you’re having the very pricing conversation that should have happened before you signed.
By then, the agent has secured your business, and you’ve invested time, money and hope in a figure that may never have been realistic. The promise got them through your door. You’re the one left adjusting your plans.
A quiet open home on its own does not prove an agent inflated the price. Sometimes buyer feedback genuinely changes the picture. What I’m talking about is starting with an unsupported number to win the listing, then walking you back from it once you’re committed.
Ask them to show you why
If one appraisal is well above the rest, ask a simple question: “Can you show me the sales that support that price?”
Not homes that are advertised for that amount. Homes that have actually sold, and that compare properly with yours. Ask what makes your home worth the extra money.
There may be a good explanation. But if the answer is all confidence and no evidence, I would be asking more questions before signing anything. A big number is easy to say. Backing it up is what matters.
That’s not how I want to do business
I want to get you the best possible price. Absolutely. We’ll aim high, present your home properly and work hard for every opportunity to get a stronger result.
But I won’t tell you a number just because I know you’d love to hear it. I’ll be honest about where I see your home sitting, and I’ll show you the local sales and explain how I got there.
I would rather have an honest conversation with you at the start than win your business with a promise I can’t support and spend the next few weeks talking you down.
You can be ambitious without overpromising. That’s the approach I want my sellers to feel confident in.
If you’re thinking about selling in Fernvale, get in touch. We’ll talk openly about your home, what the market is telling us and how we can work towards the best result.
