How to Choose a Real Estate Agent on the Gold Coast: 10 Questions You Must Ask

• 07 July, 2026
• Posted By: Edward Smyth

Choosing the agent is the biggest decision in your sale, bigger than any single presentation or marketing choice, because it decides all the others. Yet most sellers spend more time choosing the photographer. Here are the ten questions we believe every Gold Coast seller should ask, including of us.

1. What have you sold recently, and how close to your quoted price?

Not "what have you listed". Sold. Ask for addresses and results, then look them up yourself. The gap between an agent's appraisal prices and their sale prices tells you whether their numbers are strategy or bait.

2. How long did those sales take?

Fast sales at strong prices mean accurate pricing and real buyer reach. Long campaigns followed by price cuts mean the opposite, no matter how the story is told.

3. Who exactly will run my campaign?

In larger offices, the person who wins your listing isn't always the person who answers buyer calls, runs your opens, and negotiates your offers. Ask who does each job. You're hiring a person, not a brand.

4. How many active buyers do you have for a home like mine right now?

An agent's buyer database is one of the few genuine advantages they can bring on day one. A good agent can answer this question specifically. We publish ours: you can check buyer demand for your type of home at smythre.com.au/buyer-demand.

5. What's your pricing strategy, and what happens if the market disagrees?

Any agent can quote a big number. Ask what evidence supports it, and what the plan is if week two feedback says otherwise. You want an agent who tells you the truth early, not one who lets a listing go stale while the market moves on.

6. How will you actually market the property?

Portals are table stakes. Ask what else: buyer database campaigns, social reach, off-market previews, inspection strategy. And ask who pays for what, in writing.

7. What are your fees, and what do they include?

Commission structures vary widely on the Gold Coast. Cheapest is not best and dearest is not best; clarity is best. Get the full picture including marketing costs before you sign anything.

8. How will you keep me informed?

You should never have to chase your agent for news. Ask what you'll receive after every inspection and every week: numbers, named feedback, and a straight read on price. Vendor reporting is a discipline, not a favour.

9. How do you handle offers and negotiation?

This is where fortunes are won and lost. Ask how they create competition between buyers, whether they use transparent offer platforms like Openn, and how they'll present every offer to you (they're legally required to present them all).

10. Why you?

Give every agent the chance to make their case. For what it's worth, ours is simple: Smyth RE is independent, so you deal directly with the owner of the business from appraisal to settlement. Edward's background is in finance (Morgan Stanley and the London Stock Exchange before real estate), which means pricing built on analysis rather than optimism. And because it's our name on the sign, your result is our reputation.

Put us through the interview

Ask us all ten. Request a free appraisal at smythre.com.au/whats-my-home-worth or call Edward Smyth on 0451 125 809, and judge the answers for yourself.

Keep exploring: Free property appraisal  ·  Recently sold on the Gold Coast