How to choose a real estate agent (without falling for the appraisal trick)
Selling · 8 min read · Updated 31 July 2026
Most owners choose an agent the same way: three appraisals, and the one who quotes the highest price wins the listing. It is the single most expensive habit in Australian real estate, because the appraisal is a marketing number, not a valuation. Here is what actually predicts a good result, and how to test it in one conversation.
Why the highest appraisal is usually the worst signal
An appraisal costs the agent nothing. Quoting high wins the listing; the price is then "adjusted to the market" three weeks later, once your campaign money has been spent and you are locked into an exclusive agency agreement. The industry name for it is conditioning, and it is depressingly effective.
Overpricing carries a real cost. A property that sits above the market for the first two or three weeks loses the buyers who were watching on day one — the ones who pay best. By the time the price is corrected, the listing looks stale, and buyers who circle back expect a discount for it. Properties that sell in the first month consistently achieve closer to their asking price than those that pass the six-week mark.
The fix is simple: ask every agent to justify their number with three comparable sales from the last ninety days, within a kilometre, on similar land and condition. An agent who cannot produce them is guessing, or fishing.
The five numbers that actually matter
| What to ask | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Properties sold in my suburb, last 12 months | Sold, not listed. Genuine local depth, not one lucky sale |
| Median days on market vs the suburb median | At or below the suburb median across their whole book |
| Sale price vs original guide | Consistently at or above — a pattern of falling short means under-quoting |
| Percentage of listings withdrawn or unsold | Low. Withdrawn listings are the number agents never volunteer |
| Experience with your property type | Apartments, acreage and prestige homes are different trades |
Notice what is not on that list: office size, brand, awards, or how many times you have seen their face on a bus stop. Marketing spend tells you an agency is good at winning listings. It says nothing about what they achieve once they have yours.
Test the negotiator, not the presenter
Listing presentations are rehearsed. Negotiation is not. The most useful thing you can do in an appraisal is push back on their commission — not because you necessarily want a discount, but to watch what happens.
An agent who drops their own fee within thirty seconds of the first objection has just demonstrated exactly how they will behave when a buyer says "that's my final offer". The one who calmly explains what the fee buys, and holds their number, is the one you want arguing your price for you.
Questions worth asking out loud
- Who actually runs my campaign? Many listings are won by a principal and serviced by a junior. Ask who attends the opens and who calls the buyers.
- How many buyers are on your database for this price bracket? A real answer includes numbers and recent examples.
- What would you do if we get no offers in three weeks? Listen for a strategy, not "we'll reassess the price".
- How often will I hear from you, and how? Weekly written feedback after every open is a reasonable expectation.
- What is your recommended method of sale, and why? The answer should be about your property and your suburb's buyer behaviour, not the agency's house style.
Read the agency agreement before you feel ready to sign
The agreement is where good intentions become obligations. Check the exclusive period — ninety days is standard, and anything materially longer locks you in if the relationship sours. Check the marketing schedule and whether it is payable regardless of outcome. Check the cooling-off provisions in your state, and check whether the commission rate written down matches what was said in the room.
Never sign an agency agreement at the appraisal itself. Any agent worth hiring will be entirely comfortable with you taking it away overnight.
Where comparison sites fit — and where they don't
Most agent-comparison services in Australia are lead-generation businesses. Agents pay a subscription or retainer to appear, so the shortlist you receive is drawn from the pool of agents who paid, not the agents who perform best on your street.
Sales & Leasing takes no retainers. Every agency in our network is charged the identical fee, and only on successful completion of a sale or lease — no sale, no fee. Nobody can buy their way onto your shortlist, so the recommendation reflects performance data, and the commission is capped before you ever meet the agent.
The short version
Ignore the highest number. Ask for comparable sales, days on market, and sale-price-to-guide across the last twelve months. Push on the fee to see how they negotiate. Take the agreement home before you sign it. Then choose the agent you would want on the other end of the phone when a buyer is trying to knock twenty thousand dollars off your price.