Comparing Lyon agent fees for a €611,800 serviced apartment after 65 days

H

hana.north

Property manager
The more expensive agents say their fee covers a fuller service, but I am not yet convinced the additional cost is buying consistent attention. I have spent 65 days comparing proposals for a Lyon serviced apartment expected to sell at about €611,800, and the scopes are still not directly comparable.

I want each agent to specify who will photograph the apartment, what images and revisions are included, how offers will be communicated, and who takes over if the first buyer withdraws. Most importantly, I want the person responsible after launch named in writing rather than only meeting the senior person giving the pitch. What else should I pin down before choosing?
 
Ask each agent to put the scope beside the fee, task by task. For photography: who arranges it, what is delivered, and whether revisions are included? For buyers: what does “qualified” actually mean? For offers: who presents them, how quickly, and in what format?

Also request the named contact and backup contact. A broad service promise matters less if the senior person pitching disappears after signature.
 
Are all the fee proposals calculated on the same basis—fixed amount or percentage, and on the same stated price? Without that, even a detailed service comparison could mislead.

I would also ask whether any agent represents or receives fees from another party connected with the transaction. The answer may be straightforward, but conflict disclosure belongs in the written comparison.
 
Camila’s point is important. I’d make a one-page table with total fee at €611,800, included tasks, excluded tasks and possible extra charges. Then ask for actual response commitments rather than “prompt communication”: for example, when viewing feedback reaches you and how soon an offer is acknowledged.

For fall-throughs, ask what the agent does next—contact prior interested buyers, restart viewings, or simply relist—and who coordinates that work.
 
I’d be cautious about turning every promise into a response-time contest. A fast reply can still be vague, and a low fall-through rate may reflect which properties or buyers an agency accepts rather than superior handling.

The more revealing exercise is to give all candidates the same hypothetical: two offers arrive together, one higher but less certain. Ask who evaluates them, what buyer information is sought, and how the options are explained to you.
 
That helps. The proposals don’t currently use a common layout, which is probably why the cheapest one looked better at first glance. I’ll ask for the total fee based on €611,800 and separate included work from optional charges.

I’m also adding three written questions: who is my day-to-day contact, how are competing offers handled, and what happens if an accepted offer collapses. Emil’s scenario should make the answers less rehearsed.
 
One more distinction: closing coordination can mean anything from occasional updates to actively keeping the parties aligned. Ask each agent to list the steps they include and where their involvement ends, without assuming the phrase covers everything.

After receiving the answers, score only the items you value. If you already have suitable photographs, for example, that inclusion may deserve little weight; if you cannot manage buyer follow-up, qualification and offer handling may justify more of the fee.
 
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