How to choose the best real estate agents in Cape Town
Category Seller Advice
You need the very best real estate agent to sell your house in Cape Town. That's because property in the Western Cape shows solid growth and you need a realtor that can help you make the most of this growth.
The right real estate agent can help you reach your goals as a seller, whether you are looking for a fast sale or the best deal.
The choice of a realtor is not easy, partly because of the sheer amount of property practitioners and estate agencies in Cape Town. With so many estate agency options, however, you get to take your pick.
In 2020 alone, South Africa's estate agency regulatory body certified almost 5 000 intern estate agents in the Western Cape. This is according to the previous Estate Agency Affairs Board of South Africa's Annual Report 2019/2020.
These are just new estate agents entering the market, not speaking of existing estate agents. In the same year, more than 6 000 firms across the country were issued certification, which means that homeowners have a massive amount of companies to consider when they choose an agency.
With so many choices, homeowners need to be careful to choose the right team for the job.
Why? A new, inexperienced or under-resourced agent might not have what it takes to help you reach your financial goals as a homeowner. There are many steps in the sales process and an agent without the right experience or support could slip up at any of these steps, causing massive delays in the process or making the deal fall through altogether.
Here's what you need to know to choose wisely, no matter where your Cape Town property is located:
Pick a top Cape Town real estate agency
Before you even consider individual estate agents, or property practitioners, as they are now called, you need to choose which estate agency you want to work with. That's because no matter how good the agent is, if the agency doesn't have the right network, platforms and resources in place, your property won't get seen - or sold.
Registered firm: You need to make sure you don't get hoodwinked by a fly-by-night estate agency that isn't registered. If you're considering a little-known agency, you can ask to see their Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC) and give the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority a call on 087 285 3222 to verify this.
Established presence online and offline: With so many estate agency options in the Western Cape, you get to take your pick. Don't fall for the promises of a realtor that works with an estate agency without an active website, social media reach and presence in the community. You need an agency that has interested buyers ready and waiting to see your property on their website and social media channels.
Local expertise: Cape Town's suburbs and neighbourhoods can differ widely from one to the next so you'll need an agency that specialises in your area. Be careful to choose a firm purely because they have branches nationwide. If they don't have an agent that specialises in your specific neighbourhood (having sold several properties there) then they are not the best option.
Consider medium-sized agencies and even small firms that have been operating in your area for a long time and have a team that is active in your neck of the woods.
Stellar reputation: If you can take your pick of agencies, why not choose the one that has the best track record? A good track record means that they have a history of selling properties without problems. Put your choice to the test by searching their company name online and see what comes up. Do you see complaints or do you find compliments and positive feedback shared on their social media channels?
Focused on people, not profits: Many homeowners think that real estate is a numbers game and that the best agency is the one that can promise the highest return for the sale of your house. But you have to remember that selling your home can be an emotional and time-consuming experience. The hidden cost is the time you have to spend working with the agent and the effort that goes into the sale.
You need to choose an agency that is known for making the sales process easy and stress-free. It doesn't help to make a few extra bucks if you come out of the sale tired and stressed. Make sure the firm you work with is renowned for its personalised approach to client service.
If the agency is only out for money, you'll bear the brunt of the hidden cost of selling your property.
Choose the best Cape Town real estate agent for the job
If you've chosen the right estate agency, chances are you'll be introduced to the right estate agent for the job. For instance, if you made sure that you're working with a registered, reputable agency, you can have peace of mind that their agents will be registered too.
But there are still a few things you need to check up on when you get introduced to the agency's recommended agent.
Here's what you need to know:
1. Top estate agents have contacts in your Cape Town community
You need an estate agent that already has buyers lined up for the properties they promote. Good realtors know who in their community is in the market for a new home or a great investment. All it takes for the best agents to garner interest in your property is to pop your listing on their social media feeds.
That's why you should check whether the estate agent you're considering has a social media following. Do they have a Facebook account where they promote properties in your area? Perhaps they use Instagram to show off the homes they are selling on behalf of sellers like you.
In a nutshell: If you choose an agent who doesn't sell homes in your suburb, their social media followers won't be that interested in your house. It also means they are not the right fit for your sale.
2. The best estate agent will know your Capetonian suburb inside and out
Not only should they have a social media following and contacts in your area, but they should KNOW your suburb.
An estate agent that specialises in your area of Cape Town will know how to suggest the Right Price for your home. They'll use their knowledge of past sales in your area, existing market conditions and any development plans in your location to recommend a price that will attract the right buyer at the right time.
Our advice: If you choose a property practitioner from the neighbourhood across the road, you run the risk of pricing your property inaccurately. It would be a surprisingly costly mistake, that can delay your sale or make you lose out on a profit.
3. Top realtors are there for you day in and day out
Too often, homeowners choose an agent because they seem impressive, highly connected and super-successful. But don't fall for all the flashy gimmicks that salesmen frequently use, because the best estate agents are often everyday people with a heart for others.
You need an estate agent that will approach your sale, property and personal needs with compassion. A realtor that can support you during this sometimes stressful experience will go a long way in making the process easier.
Here's what you need to do: Choose the estate agent that takes the time to answer each one of your questions patiently and thoroughly, no matter how simple your queries are. It might be too much to expect of your agent to answer your calls every time, especially after hours, but make sure it's someone that returns your calls and messages promptly.
4. The right estate agent will give you honest advice, even if it's hard to hear
One of the most important things you need in an estate agent is a person that is willing to tell you the truth, even if it makes them unpopular.
The challenging thing about real estate is that the market and demand for homes change all the time. It means that the price of your home and what you can expect to get for it are highly dependent on several factors. You need an estate agent that will give your honest insight into how these factors influence the pricing you can expect.
A bad realtor will promise you that you can sell your home at the very top of the price range that it was valuated for - or even for more than it is worth. This move can and will cost you in the long run, though. A good realtor will give you a realistic valuation of your home, even if it's not what you wanted to hear.
Proper estate agents will also show you where you can make repairs to your home to make it sell easier. They'll use their years of experience or their thorough training to point out problem areas, and recommend service providers that can help you fix things up.
Bottom line: If the estate agent you're considering isn't providing you with any of these insights, you're better off finding another realtor.
Choosing the right estate agency from the masses on offer might seem like rocket science. But when you follow our advice, you're almost sure to pick a realtor that will get the job done with little stress to you and in a way that will allow you to reach your goals.
Now that you know how to pick a realtor, it's time to get to grips with all the steps in the sales process. Read our article on How to sell a house step-by-step.
Ready to meet an estate agent? NS Property Solutions sells homes in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town, the Whale Coast and Worcester. Reach out to us to start the sales process.
Author: NS Property Solutions
