Comparing three Seoul agents when the fees and services do not match

B

bikesAndEcho

Homeowner
Established
I have three proposals for selling a duplex in Seoul, and I am struggling to compare them fairly. The fee gap is meaningful, but the scopes are completely different: one includes photography and negotiation, while another starts charging separately for nearly everything once the listing is live.

What questions reveal the real value? I am considering recent comparable results, buyer qualification, offer handling, response time, fall-through support, the named person managing the file and any conflicts they must disclose. The difficult part is judging which service will still function well when there is an offer deadline and everyone wants an answer.
 
Turn each proposal into an estimated all-in cost under the same scenario. Then ask each agent, in writing, who takes responsibility for photography, buyer enquiries, viewing feedback, offer comparison, negotiation and the period after agreement. A low headline fee stops looking low if every deadline-related task is an extra.
 
What is the fee basis in each proposal: fixed, percentage-based, or some combination? Also ask exactly when it becomes payable and what happens if a buyer withdraws. Those answers could matter more than a modest difference in photography costs.
 
The detail that would change my ranking is whether the person named in the proposal actually handles a live question. Recent results mean little if they involve different properties or selling conditions from this Seoul duplex.

Send all three agents the same realistic scenario—for example, two offers arriving shortly before a response deadline—and ask who compares the terms, contacts the buyers and advises you. The clarity of the named contact’s answer will tell you more than raw response speed.
 
One addition to that: do not score response time purely by speed. A fast but vague answer is less useful than a slightly slower reply that states who will do what. I would make a simple table with included, extra charge, unclear and not offered against every stage of the sale.
 
Ask who qualifies prospective buyers and what that qualification actually means in their process. You also want to know whether the agent represents, refers or has another relationship with anyone on the buyer side, and how any conflict would be disclosed. The person pitching may not be the person handling competing offers.
 
Biancam13's table is sensible, but photography needs its own row rather than one tick. Does the quoted scope cover the whole duplex, editing and any return visit if something is missed? More importantly, who decides when the material is good enough to launch? Included photography has little value if it delays the listing or cannot be corrected.
 
The post-agreement period is where the proposals may separate. Ask each agent what they actually do if communication slows, a condition is not progressing or the buyer appears likely to withdraw. “We manage the file” is too broad; request a step-by-step description and the name of the contact responsible.
 
I slightly disagree that post-agreement support should dominate. If the initial offer handling is weak, you may never reach a sound agreement. Give all three the same hypothetical: two offers arrive near the deadline with different prices and conditions. Ask how they present them, verify the buyers' positions, manage revisions and keep you informed without steering you toward the easiest deal.
 
That hypothetical also exposes availability. Ask who covers if the named contact is unavailable on the deadline day and whether negotiation is included in the quoted fee or billed separately. I would not assume the most expensive proposal is safest; the strongest one is the proposal with the fewest important tasks left ambiguous.
 
Before choosing, send each agent a one-page summary of your understanding of their fee and scope and ask them to correct it. Include photography, buyer qualification, offer deadlines, negotiation, fall-through work, response expectations and the named contact. Comparing their corrections may be more revealing than comparing polished proposals.
 
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