Comparing agent fees for a ZAR 21.2m Johannesburg new-build flat

A

AishaSlate

Homeowner
Established
One proposal is cheap but leaves me coordinating important parts of the sale; another costs more and promises to handle nearly everything. Neither feels comfortable without knowing who will actually do the work. I am now 111 days into preparations to sell a Johannesburg new-build flat valued at about ZAR 21,200,000.

I want to compare the agents on an identical scope, including images, enquiry screening, negotiation and support after acceptance. How can I verify the more expensive service before committing—perhaps through completed comparable sales, a sample offer process and specific response commitments? I also want the name of the person running the file, not only the person pitching, and clarity about any relationship with the developer or competing sellers.
 
Ask each agent to price the same written scope. The fee percentage alone is meaningless if one includes photography and closing work while another charges separately. Request the fee basis, every likely extra, who pays those extras if the property does not sell, and which services continue after an offer is accepted. Then compare the total under the same assumed sale price.
 
What does “expected around ZAR 21,200,000” come from: completed sales, asking prices, or the developer’s figure? I would ask for comparable transactions with dates and enough detail to explain why they are relevant to this particular flat. Also ask how each agent would change the plan if buyer feedback consistently points below that expectation.
 
Recent sales matter, but I wouldn’t make the decision on them alone. An agent can present good comparables without having a disciplined process. Give all candidates the same hypothetical offer and ask them to explain, step by step, who qualifies the buyer, records the terms, communicates counteroffers and follows up on unresolved conditions.
 
Hana’s distinction between asking and completed prices is important. I’d also ask whether the examples are genuinely comparable in build stage, specification and position, rather than simply nearby flats at a similar headline price. If an agent cannot explain the adjustments in ordinary language, the impressive list of properties is not very useful.
 
For photography, get specific: number and type of images, whether editing is included, when the shoot occurs, who approves the final selection, and whether new images are possible if the initial marketing is weak. “Photography included” can describe very different deliverables. The proposal should also say who can use the material if you change agents.
 
I’d be cautious with claimed fall-through rates because agents may count them differently. Ask for the denominator and definition: all written offers, accepted offers, or only transactions that reached a later stage? More useful may be a concrete explanation of what they do when finance, documentation or communication stalls, and how quickly the seller is told.
 
The named contact is a major point at this price. Ask who answers enquiries, conducts viewings, negotiates and coordinates after acceptance—not just who attends the pitch. On conflicts, ask whether the agent or firm is also acting for the developer, another seller in the building, or a competing listing, and how that relationship would be disclosed and managed.
 
Response time should be tested rather than left as “prompt.” Have them commit to a reporting rhythm and say how quickly enquiries and offers are acknowledged, including outside normal hours. I’d also want one place where every offer, counteroffer and outstanding item is recorded. That makes handovers less risky if the main contact is unavailable.
 
Getting this wrong could leave you paying the premium fee while still chasing offers and handovers yourself. Put the candidates against the same one-page schedule: fee calculation, extras, image package, buyer checks, offer recording, work after acceptance, support if a deal collapses, response targets, assigned staff and conflicts.

Have each agent complete it in writing, then take the best two through one identical example, such as an offer arriving while the lead contact is unavailable. The answer should show who responds, where the offer is logged and who keeps the sale moving. That is more revealing than the length of the service list.
 
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