Anyone contemplating the appointment of an estate agent should take a great deal more care than is often the case, says Simon Raab of Greeff Properties.

He suggests that before agents are appointed to sell properties they should be obliged to confirm either verbally, or preferably in writing, that they have written the Estate Agency Affairs Board examinations, whether they are members of the local Institute of Estate Agents of South Africa, and whether they hold valid fidelity fund certificates.

Sellers should also make sure the agents they appoint receive ongoing training from their agencies, and they have passed the NQF Level 4 qualification in Real Estate, which will soon be required by all estate agents to trade legally in South Africa.

Clients should ask whether the agency has a budget for advertising and, if so, how large this is, what media it uses and how frequently. It is also important that agents live in the areas they serve and can produce market-related data to show their valuations and analyses are up-to-date.

Sellers should also ask whether the agents’ company ethics have ever been questioned publicly or been the subject of an enquiry and, if so, on what topic.

Raab says these simple questions should not be seen as intrusive or arrogant, but rather as essential steps in establishing agents’ credibility and ability to perform.

“Establishing a trusting relationship with an agent is essential for a good marketing effort. However, the client has to probe to establish the facts. This will only be seen as offensive by agents who know themselves to be incompetent and unqualified.”

Raab says the traditional system of appointing an agent simply because they are good friends or have a plausible sales patter has, time and again, been shown to lead to worthwhile properties sticking on the market and eventually selling at below their true value.