Whether you're listing for sale or signing a property-management agreement, the moment of signing carries a lot of weight. These five questions are worth asking any agent before you do. The answers reveal more than the marketing folder ever will.
1. Who specifically will manage my property or campaign?
Not the firm. The person. Get a name, and find out how many other properties or campaigns that person is currently handling. If the listing presentation is led by one person but the day-to-day work belongs to another, you need to know that now — not after a junior fields your first call.
2. How often will I hear from you, and how?
A good agent has a clear answer: weekly inspection summaries, immediate maintenance approvals over a set value, fortnightly campaign updates during a sale. A vague 'we'll keep you posted' usually predicts reactive communication. Reactive communication is the single most common reason owners say they want to switch agents.
3. How long has the team been together?
Stable teams produce consistent client experiences. High turnover risks losing context every time someone leaves. Ask directly. The answer is usually a useful signal — and a short tenure isn't necessarily a deal-breaker on its own, but it's worth weighing.
4. What happens if my agent leaves?
Even at the best agencies, people occasionally move on. What matters is whether the agency has a plan for a clean handover — a full briefing, an introduction to the replacement, file continuity — or whether you're left to discover the change yourself.
5. What listings are you saying no to right now?
This one separates volume agencies from boutiques quickly. An agency that takes every listing has no spare capacity. An agency that declines listings it cannot service properly tells you something important about how it values your time.
If you'd like to put these questions to us, we'd be happy to answer them — directly, without a pitch.
