05/06/2026
There are two things that matter to a vendor when they sell a property. Most agents in this market sell neither of them.
The first is time. How quickly does this property turn into the next chapter of someone's life. The move overseas to be near grandchildren. The divorce that needs to be finalised before everyone can get on with the next phase. The estate that needs to be wound up so the family can grieve properly. The next house that has already been chosen but can't be bought until this one settles. Every vendor has a clock running in the background of their decision, and the clock is almost always more emotional than the dollar figure attached to the sale.
The second is outcome. What does selling this property actually make possible. The school zone. The retirement. The business they want to start. The debt they want to clear. The freedom from a property that has become a burden. These are the things a vendor thinks about at three in the morning, not the marketing package.
The price serves the outcome. The price serves the time. The price is the vehicle, never the destination.
The reason real estate agents have a reputation for being slick salespeople is that the average agent walks into a kitchen and starts selling the thing they think is important. The marketing. The commission. The brand. The number. None of which are the actual thing the vendor cares about.
When I sit with a vendor, the first hour is not about price. It's about why. Why are you selling. Why now. Why this house. Why this timeframe. Get those answers right and the price is the easy part of the conversation, because the price is in service of something the vendor has already told me matters more than the price.
If you're selling, find the agent who asks why before they quote a number. That agent understands what they're actually being hired to do.
If you're buying, the same agent will negotiate harder on your behalf because they understand what the vendor on the other side actually needs.