A serious valuation meeting lasts an hour. It is the one moment when you can ask anything, and when the agent has an interest in telling you everything. After signature, the balance shifts.
Here is what to ask, in order, and how to read the answers.
On their experience of the segment
1. How many properties comparable to mine have you sold in the last twelve months? Comparable means same type, same price range, same neighbourhood. "Plenty" is not an answer; a number is.
2. How long did each take, on average? The median is more telling than the mean, which a single very long sale is enough to distort.
3. What gap between your initial asking price and the price finally signed? The most revealing question on the list, and the least asked. An agent who lists high then negotiates down 12 % will cost you months. A gap of 2 to 4 % reflects normal negotiation.
4. Do you have unsold properties on your books right now? For how long? An honest professional does — that is normal. How they discuss it tells you whether they analyse their failures or blame the market.
On the valuation
5. Which comparable properties is your figure based on? They should be able to name three or four, with sale dates, prices, and how they differ from yours. A valuation resting on nothing is an opinion.
6. What happens if no offer arrives within six weeks? This question tests clear-sightedness. A good answer contains a scheduled review point, decision criteria, and a repositioning scenario.
7. What asking price would you recommend if I wanted to sell within two months? The gap between this answer and their initial valuation shows you the margin they are allowing themselves.
On what will be done
8. Who will conduct the viewings — you, or a colleague? Essential and rarely asked. Many agencies delegate viewings to a junior. That is not disqualifying, but you must know, and meet that person.
9. What is your availability for evening and Saturday viewings? Most buyers work. An agency that only shows during office hours halves the number of candidates.
10. Do you use a professional photographer? Is it included? Photographs determine the listing's click-through rate, hence the number of viewings, hence the number of offers. It is the first lever, and the cheapest.
11. How many buyers on your books match my property today? A precise figure indicates a genuinely maintained database. "We have plenty" indicates the opposite.
12. What reporting will I receive, how often, and in what form? Silence after signature is the leading source of conflict between sellers and agencies. Set the rule beforehand.
On the contract
13. What is the exact commission, VAT included, on my property? In euros, not percentages. A rate quoted excluding VAT without saying so understates the bill by 21 %.
14. How long does the mandate run, and how does one exit it? Check tacit renewal, notice period, and whether a withdrawal clause exists.
15. Is there a survival clause after the mandate ends? For how long? It provides that commission remains due if you subsequently sell to a buyer they introduced. It is legitimate; its duration must be reasonable and known.
The answers that should give you pause
- "We'll take care of everything." That is not a plan, it is a phrase.
- "That price — I'll get it for you." A valuation is not a commitment. No one "gets" you a price: the buyer signs it.
- "You need to sign today, I have a buyer." Manufactured urgency is a sales technique, not information.
- An immediate, steep cut in commission, with no counterpart and no discussion. An agent who gives up their own fee in five minutes has just shown you how they will negotiate yours.
- A refusal, awkwardness, or a detour when you ask for the IPI number.
How to run the three meetings
Ask the same questions of all three agents, take notes during, and compare the next day when the impression has cooled. The feeling at the end of a meeting is a poor guide: it measures commercial ease, which is precisely the skill the weakest agents share with the best.
An independent valuation, obtained before the meetings, gives you the one reference point no one at the table has an interest in moving.