Utilizing the services of an estate agent is a popular way to market and sell your property, and for good reason. An estate agent has specialized knowledge and experience concerning properties, and a good one will benefit both the vendor and the buyer.

In selecting an estate agent, you should fully expect that an agent will supply upfront their fees for selling your property. If the agent can only offer an estimation of how much their services will cost, they should be prepared to show you how they arrived at their estimate.

Estate agents are required to share with you each and every bid given by a potential property buyer, in writing, unless you have specified for them not to do so with regards to bids under the amount you wish to make for the sale.

Additionally, estate agents must tell you if they have a personal stake in obtaining your property, and they cannot withhold their services from you based on your decision not make use of financial products that they offer, such as mortgages.

You're concerned with getting the most money for your property, and estate agents are keenly aware of this fact. As you interview multiple estate agents, take note of the valuations they pitch to you. There is a large difference between an agent saying he can sell your property for a large sum and the actual market demand for your property at that sum.

Though a scrupulous estate agent won't fabricate an unrealistic sum, to estimate for yourself whether their appraisal is accurate, you can find out what past, mortgage surveyor approved sales in the area have been. This works best if your property is similar to that of the rest of the neighbourhood.

The reputation of the estate agent is quite important as they depend upon themselves for their own self-promotion, so ask them for customer testimonials.

The livelihoods of estate agents depend upon their ability to negotiate fees commensurate to the effort it takes to sell a property. Therefore, if you have an expensive, upscale property but only offer small compensation for selling it, the estate agent will likely focus their best efforts on more personally lucrative deals.

Try to negotiate a good deal, but make sure it's a win-win scenario. Financial incentive can mean the difference between a lucrative sale or an average sale.

This is a possibility, however some estate agents are unwilling to do this and have thus included a clause in their contract that affirms them as the sole agent, meaning that no matter who sells your property, any contract you've signed with a sole agent entitles them to a commission.

Assuming you've successfully agreed upon a fee, and, in the case of multiple estate agents, you're aware of the sole agent clause, an important area of the contract to look at is the duration of the contract itself.

Optimally, a reasonable length of time will benefit both you and the estate agent. A shorter contract may pressure the estate agent to try to sell the property below the asking price to avoid losing a commission, and a longer contract means you're bound to the estate agent.

You may consider including a cancellation clause. As well, a contract could be difficult to read for those not versed in the technical legality of such documents, so you may wish to obtain the services of a solicitor to look over the contract.