Lima flat sale: how do I compare agent fees when the services differ?

D

DailyLens

Buyer
I have three proposals for selling a new-build flat in Lima. The fee difference is meaningful, but the scopes are hard to compare: one includes photography and negotiation, while another starts charging separately for almost everything once the listing is live.

I’m making a line-by-line comparison, including whether the fee is calculated on the asking price or final sale price. What questions best expose the real value—recent comparable results, buyer qualification, availability, offer handling, fall-through support, response time, the named contact, or conflicts? I’m not after a universal rule, just a practical way to compare these proposals.
 
Ask each agent to price the same hypothetical transaction from listing through completion. Include photography, advertising, accompanied viewings, document chasing, negotiation and a buyer who withdraws after an agreement. That should reveal both extras and gaps.

I’d also ask who actually answers buyers and how quickly. A strong presentation is wasted if enquiries sit unanswered.
 
How different are their proposed asking prices and price-per-square-metre comparisons? A low fee attached to an inflated valuation can be the expensive option if the flat sits and later needs reductions.

Ask for recent results that genuinely resemble your flat, then ask how the final sale prices compared with the original asking prices. “We list lots of new builds” is not the same as showing relevant outcomes.
 
I’d put less weight on photography being bundled. It is easy to assign a price to that service, so you can add it to the cheaper proposal and compare totals.

The harder part to price is what happens after an offer arrives: qualification of the buyer, handling competing offers, keeping communication moving and recovering if the deal falls through. Get those duties described in writing rather than accepting “full service.”
 
The proposed asking prices are not identical, which is making this more complicated. One agent supports the higher figure mainly with nearby asking prices; another is using a smaller set of more comparable flats and recommends launching lower.

I’ll ask all three for an itemised cost on the same sale scenario, including a failed first buyer. I also hadn’t separated the named person pitching from whoever would manage enquiries and the file afterward.
 
That valuation difference deserves its own meeting. Ask each one to explain every comparable: why it is similar, what is different, and whether the figure is an asking price or an achieved result. If they cannot disclose an achieved figure, they should at least be clear about that limitation.

Also ask what evidence would cause them to recommend a price change and how soon they would raise it.
 
One more point: request the buyer-qualification process without asking for private buyer details. Do they establish how the purchase is being funded and whether the buyer can proceed on the proposed timeline before treating the offer as solid? The answer may be procedural rather than impressive, but vagueness here would concern me more than an extra photography charge.
 
Be careful not to turn the longest service list into an automatic winner. Some tasks may never be needed, while the higher fee is certain if the sale completes. Compare the likely total cost, not just the maximum possible package.

I’d favour a short written table: fee basis, included work, optional charges, response arrangements, cancellation terms, and what remains payable if a buyer withdraws. Terms can vary, so use the actual proposals rather than assumptions.
 
Ask about conflicts as well. If the agent also represents or receives compensation from the buyer’s side or another party involved, when and how would that be disclosed? You want to know whose instructions govern offer presentation and negotiation.

And insist that every offer reaches you, with its conditions and proposed timing, rather than only receiving a verbal headline price.
 
After the written comparison, speak to the person who would handle the listing day to day, not only the person who prepared the proposal. Give each the same two scenarios: two offers arrive together, and the preferred buyer withdraws after agreement. Ask who calls whom, what gets documented, and what happens next.

Specific answers will tell you more than promises of “personal service.” Then choose based on credible execution and total expected cost, not the percentage alone.
 
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