Questions to ask an agent before giving them your mandate

You've just decided to sell your home and three agents have pitched for your business. They all sound confident, but you can't quite shake the feeling that you're missing something crucial before signing that mandate. The right questions now can save you months of regret.

What systems do they actually use to price and market your home?

This is where you separate professionals from cheerleaders. Ask the agent to walk you through their valuation process. A solid answer sounds like: "I pull comparable sales from the last three to six months in your area, adjust for condition and upgrades, and cross-check with my own market data." They should name their tools—whether that's property portal data, their own database, or a formal valuation method. Listen for specifics; vague answers like "I just know the market" should worry you.

Then ask how they'll market your home. You want to hear about their photo and video protocol, which portals they use, their plan for social media or WhatsApp marketing, and whether they'll use open houses or private viewings. If they can't describe their marketing calendar or just say they'll "put it on the internet," that's a yellow flag. Ask them to show you examples of how they've marketed similar homes—actual listings they've handled, not generic glossy brochures.

Press further: how often will they send you feedback from showings? Weekly? Real feedback, or a generic "buyers loved the kitchen"? A professional should commit to a regular update cycle and explain how they'll track and report inquiries. If they're evasive about communication frequency, ask directly when you should expect to hear from them and put that timeline in writing.

What happens if we're not aligned—or if the home isn't selling?

This question often makes agents uncomfortable, and that discomfort is useful information. Ask them: "If we disagree on the asking price, how do we resolve it?" A good agent will explain their process—perhaps a written proposal with their reasoning, a second valuation, or a time-bound trial period before reconsidering the price. They should not promise to list at whatever price you demand, because that's not their job; they're supposed to advise based on market reality.

Also ask: "What's your strategy if the home doesn't sell within the first month or two?" Their answer reveals whether they're reactive or strategic. You want to hear about specific steps—dropping the price, changing the marketing approach, targeting investor buyers, or adjusting the property presentation. Answers like "we'll just wait and see" or "the market will turn around" are stalling tactics, not strategy.

Ask what happens to your mandate if you're unhappy. Do they have a notice period? Can you terminate early, and if so, what are the costs? Is there a cooling-off period when you sign, and for how long? These details must be in your listing agreement, but asking them out loud now tells you whether the agent sees the mandate as partnership or possession.

Finally, ask for their track record in your specific area. How many homes have they sold in your suburb or neighbourhood in the last year? How long did those homes take to sell on average? What was the gap between the asking price and the final sale price? If they hedge or claim their listings are confidential, ask for client references instead—actual sellers they've worked with who can speak to their follow-through.

A professional agent answers these questions directly, with data or examples, and welcomes the scrutiny. They know their process because they follow it consistently. An agent who gets defensive, vague, or suddenly too eager to please is telling you something real: they're either disorganized or they're not planning to be accountable once the mandate is signed.

Once you've interviewed candidates and found someone whose answers are clear and credible, verify their registration with the PPRA, review the listing agreement clause by clause, and check references. After that due diligence, you can find verified agents on Strove who've already been through that vetting process—which saves you some of that initial filtering.