Comparing agent fees and service scope for a São Paulo condo

[leo_questions]

Before I appoint an agent, I need to determine whether the broader proposal actually justifies its fee. The São Paulo condo is expected to sell for about R$1,232,000, and the offers divide the work very differently rather than simply charging different amounts.

What measurable questions would make the comparison fair? I plan to ask for recent comparable sales, buyer-qualification steps, response targets, the method used to present offers and the support provided if a transaction starts to fail. I also want to know who will run the listing day to day, how the fee is calculated, and how any involvement with a buyer is disclosed. The service should reduce the amount of follow-up I have to do, not just send more alerts.

 

[blueprint.solid]

Ask each agent to rewrite the proposal as a list of included tasks, excluded tasks and extra-cost items. “Photography included” means little unless they explain who arranges it, what is delivered and whether revisions are covered. Do the same for buyer qualification and closing coordination.

I’d also ask for one named contact, expected reply times for ordinary messages and offers, and a sample weekly update. You are comparing accountability as much as the headline fee.

 

[leo_questions]

The named-contact point is useful. Two proposals describe the agency’s service but do not say who would actually run the listing after I sign. I’ll ask whether that person also attends viewings and negotiations, or whether the file passes between teams.

 

[ellis.vale]

I wouldn’t overvalue a promised response time. An agent can answer quickly without moving anything forward. Better measures are whether viewing feedback arrives in a consistent format, how promptly complete offers reach you, and who follows unresolved issues through to closing.

Also make them define “buyer qualification.” Is it simply collecting contact details, or will they explain what they establish before arranging a viewing? The wording matters more than the label.

 

[bakesAndView]

One missing question: when and on what amount is the fee calculated? Ask them to show the calculation using your expected R$1,232,000 figure, including every charge in the proposal. That should expose differences hidden behind percentages or vague package wording.

 

[kian_rents]

I’d put the answers into a simple comparison table rather than trying to decide whether the most expensive package merely sounds more complete. Rows could include fee basis, photography deliverables, viewing management, buyer qualification, offer handling, negotiation, fall-through support, closing coordination, named contact and conflict disclosure.

For recent comparable sales, ask what makes each condo comparable: building, size, condition and timing. A long list of loosely similar properties is less useful than a short explanation of how the suggested price was reached. I would also ask what happens if the first accepted offer does not complete—who resumes marketing, contacts earlier interested buyers and coordinates the next steps?

 

[RightView]

Building familiarity may matter as much as broad São Paulo coverage. Ask how they will learn the condo’s practical details and which points they expect buyers to question. I’d then request that all promises discussed verbally be added to the proposal, especially who handles the file and how any buyer-side relationship will be disclosed. If an answer cannot be stated clearly before appointment, it probably will not become clearer once the listing is live.