How to choose the right estate agent (questions to ask before you sign)
Most sellers pick an agent the same way they'd pick a plumber off a fridge magnet: whoever calls back first, or whoever has the most boards up on the street. The mandate you sign determines how fast your home sells and how close to its real value, so it is worth five extra minutes of questions before you commit to one.
Ask what they will actually do differently
Every agent will tell you they will "market it well." Ask what that means in practice. Which portals, what photography standard, whether there is a floor plan, whether they run paid reach on the listing, and how often you will actually hear from them once it is live. Vague answers here are the biggest tell. An agent who cannot describe their own process on the spot does not have one.
Ask how they arrived at the price
This is the single most important question you can ask, and the one most sellers skip. A price should come from recent comparable sales in your specific suburb, not a number designed to win the mandate by flattering you. If an agent's suggested price is meaningfully higher than every other agent who valued your home, ask them to show you the sales that support it. If they cannot, that number was chosen to get your signature, not to sell your house.
Ask about sole vs open mandate, and why
Agents will often push for a sole mandate, and there are genuine reasons that benefit you too: it gives them reason to invest properly in marketing your home instead of racing other agents to a quick sale. But you are entitled to understand the trade-off before you agree to one, including the length of the mandate and what happens if it is not working after 60 or 90 days.
Ask for a straight answer on commission
Commission in Cape Town typically runs 3% to 6% plus VAT, and it is negotiable. It is fair to ask what the agent's rate is and what it covers, and to compare it against what you are actually getting for it, not just the percentage on its own. An agent who gets defensive at a direct question about their own fee is telling you something.
Ask what happens if the offer comes in low
Every sale eventually involves a negotiation. Ask how the agent handles a lowball offer, and how they keep you informed through multiple offers if there is competition. You want someone who negotiates for your number, not someone who pushes you to accept the first offer so the deal closes faster for them.
The pattern behind all five questions
None of these questions are really about the answer you get. They are about whether the agent can answer clearly, specifically, and without defensiveness. An agent who has sold consistently in your suburb answers all five in under two minutes, because they have done this before and they know exactly why their process works. Hesitation or vague reassurance is the real signal, more than any single answer.
Overpricing to win a mandate, and then quietly reducing later, is one of the most common ways sellers lose money without realising it happened. I cover this and six other costly patterns in 7 mistakes that cost Southern Suburbs sellers money. It is worth reading before you sign anything.
Before you sign anything
The right agent for your home is the one who can show their work: comparable sales, a clear marketing plan, and a straight answer on fees and negotiation. It also helps to know what the sale itself will actually cost you before you sign, which I broke down in what it costs to sell a house in Cape Town.
If you want a second opinion on where your home actually sits in today's market before you commit to a mandate, that is exactly what a free valuation is for.
So before you sign with anyone, have you actually had your home valued against what is really selling in your street right now, or just against what an agent is telling you it is worth?