This is the condensed web version of my e-book. I wrote it because over my years in the business I've seen plenty of things big agencies prefer not to say out loud — things that would have saved you money and nerves. I'll send you the complete version with real-world examples by email — the form is at the end of this article.
1. A rookie with a business card vs. an experienced agent — how to tell them apart
Big agencies are a machine for recruiting rookies: a week of training, a business card, a phone — and off they go selling flats worth millions. The first few deals are practice, and "that practice is often your flat". At the meeting you'll hear how many properties the agency sold last year and what a system it runs. Except it's not the agency sitting across from you — it's one specific person, who may be learning the trade on you.
How to tell: ask about specific sales in your street, about taxes and the energy performance certificate, about the biggest risk of your sale. A rookie answers in generalities and sees no risk anywhere; an experienced agent will say straight out even the things you don't want to hear. And watch who asks more questions — a beginner presents the network, a professional asks about you. In the e-book you'll find three specific tests that show the difference in five minutes.
2. The exclusive contract: why everyone wants it and what it means for you
An exclusive contract isn't a problem in itself — it gives the agent certainty that their investment in your sale will pay off. And the "I'll give it to ten agencies and let them fight over it" approach doesn't work in practice: when a property is with everyone, it isn't properly with anyone. The problem starts where you only read the contract after signing it.
Watch three things: the length (three to four months is fair, automatic renewal is a warning sign), the termination terms (beware of termination allowed only with a justification the agency has to accept) and exactly when the commission becomes due — a protection period after the cooperation ends is legitimate up to one year, no longer. Practical tip: keep the contract over the weekend. If the agent pushes you to sign right at the first meeting, you have your answer.
3. How the price gets set — and why an agent tells you what you want to hear
The oldest trick in the trade: the surest way to win a listing is to overvalue it. Out of three agents, the one who promises the most gets the job — and then comes a month of silence, viewings with no offers and gradual discounting. Worse than the loss itself is "burning the market": a listing that hung around for months at an inflated price gets filed away by serious buyers as overpriced, and once it's discounted they simply skip it. In the end you sell for less than if the price had been realistic from the start.
Don't ask "how much will we sell it for" — ask "how did you arrive at that price". A professional shows specific comparable sales, not feelings. And one question that always reveals the truth: what's the lowest price the flat could sell at without being undervalued? A professional gives you a number and explains why.
4. Photos, description, advertising — where sales are lost before the first viewing
A buyer looks at a listing for seven seconds on average. Most sales are therefore lost not at the viewing, but the moment the listing opens: dark phone photos shot against the light, three sentences of description, "viewing recommended". A decent presentation means a professional photographer, a floor plan with measurements, a short video and a description that works like a trailer — the buyer should think: I have to see this.
How to protect yourself: before you sign, open the agent's profile on sreality (the biggest Czech property portal) and go through their last ten listings. That is exactly how your flat will be presented too. And ask yourself: would you buy your own flat based on the presentation the agent will make for you?
5. Who your agent actually works for — and who represents the buyer
Done right, it's simple: the agent has a contract with the seller, the seller pays the commission and the agent represents them. The trouble starts the moment the agent takes a commission from the buyer too — or takes it only from the buyer and poses to you as a free service. Then they have two conflicting motivations: they're supposed to negotiate the maximum for you, but they're also being paid by the side that wants to pay as little as possible. And you'll never see how the negotiation really went. In the Czech Republic this isn't illegal — "it's just immoral".
The question to ask yourself: who exactly will the agent be taking money from? If they take a commission from both sides, or they're doing it for you "for free", you have your answer.
6. What happens after you sign — and why the agent then stops calling
The first three weeks are pure enthusiasm: the photo shoot, the listing, the first viewing. Then the silence starts — and after two months an "assistant" from the back office calls to say the price needs to come down. At that point you no longer have an agent; you have a case in a big company's records, serviced procedurally according to an internal manual. Yet it's precisely after signing that the most money and nerves get lost.
The standard is a weekly report — how many viewings there were, what the buyers said, what will improve by next week — and direct contact with the specific person who answers for the sale. Ask before you sign: who exactly will be handling my sale, how often will they report to me, and what happens if that person falls ill or leaves? Without three specific answers, you have your answer.
That's the short version. In the full e-book you'll find specific examples for each point and the questions worth asking before you entrust your sale to anyone. I send the whole thing by email — just leave me your address here. One thing said straight: the e-book is in Czech — if you'd rather go through it in English, call me and I'll walk you through it in person.
And if you'd like to talk it over live right away, just call — straight talk, no obligation.