FINDING INDEPENDENT REAL ESTATE ADVICE

By Trish Willis | Member of Property Institute of NZ (IPAC)
Free Real Estate Advisor

As you approach the job of selling your house, it pays to get independent real estate advice on the topic of real estate agents, how to sell a house fast, comparing real estate appraisals and commission and fees and as genuinely independent real estate advisors, this is something we can help you with.

It also helps to understand the issues encountered by many home sellers that have left them less than satisfied by their real estate experiences. We have been tracking these issues since 2009 and have found a pattern of common irritants.

The inside running

The combination of steps that will deliver you the best chance possible of selling your house for the best price in the shortest amount of time: How to sell a house quickly.

A lack of attention to detail and small decisions that seem of low importance at the time can create big problems for sellers. Keep your eye on the ball at all times.

Problems can include sitting on the market for long periods unsold, low levels of buyer interest and waning contact from your real estate agent as a result. Continual price reductions can occur. However, it is not always caused by the real estate agent as vendors can sometimes have a fixed price in mind and refuse to budge on it.

Common gripes made by property sellers

These are the most common problems reported to us as an independent real estate advisor by vendors over the years:

  • Going to market with an inaccurate price
  • Poor headings being used to describe the property in advertising material
  • Poor quality marketing photographs going live prior to the vendor's consent to use them
  • Poor and/or irregular communication and feedback from the real estate agent after the listing agreement is signed
  • Undue pressure to take their properties to auction
  • Grammatical errors in the advertising text
  • Lack of feedback and communication about viewings and enquiries
  • Real estate agents letting keen buyers slip away too easily
  • Pointing out the negatives of a home to lower the sale price



There are some excellent real estate agents that go above and beyond to ensure their clients are served to the standards they have promised.

Agent Finder NZ is a good place to find real estate agents proven competent and it's a 100% free and independent service.


Usually, these problems become evident in the first week or two after signing with an agency or going live online.

For some unique tips about selling a house, lifestyle block or an apartment, check out these graphs that show the impact good or bad marketing can have on the sale of a house, along with other tips for selling property.

As a home seller, you need to be able to rely on your real estate agent for the optimum level of consistent service from beginning to end of the process. Get more advice here on real estate agents before selling your house and find out what real estate commission is likely to be on your property.


Got a question? Ask real estate advisor - it's a free service for Kiwis


Wise Up NZ Awarded Most Reputable Property Advice Hub NZ 2021

Page updated April 13, 2023 by Trish Willis | Member of Property Institute of NZ (IPAC)

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