Hang around the BBQ long enough and you’ll soon find that almost everyone has something to say about the real estate industry.

Popular misconceptions around the difference between flat-fee agencies (Tall Poppy is one example) and commissions-based agencies abound, so let’s bust some of those enduring myths!

Myth 1: “You get lower service when you pay a lower fee.”

No surprises that this myth prospered when the first low-fee companies arrived in NZ. It’s totally understandable – most people equate higher price to better quality. The NZ Real Estate industry, however, was due for a shake up so when different fee structures started appearing it was positive for home sellers.

Now most people realise that you can get great service from companies offering flat fees.

We at Tall Poppy know this because we run regular customer satisfaction surveys, have loads of repeat business and often have our customers refer others to us.

Myth 2: “With a fixed fee, the agent won’t bother getting me the best price.” Um. No. Agents are working for you, the client. Here at Tall Poppy we have our own system for managing offers designed to bring in the best price for our clients.

But if you really believe that fees need to be incentivised for an agent to work for you, we’ll happily work out a fee structure you feel comfortable with.

Myth 3: “Low fee real estate companies won’t last.”

That’s what the traditional real estate companies were hoping! However, several low fee firms have stayed the distance since breaking into the NZ market.

Tall Poppy has been around since 2012 and continues to grow.

There’s a couple of other enduring misconceptions left over from the days when there were only a handful of traditional agencies around. Let’s tackle them as well.

Myth 4: “If you don’t have an office, you’re not a ‘real’ real estate agent.”

Hopefully this misconception has had its day with people discovering, thanks to Covid that you don’t need to go into an office to work. Innovative real estate firms, like Tall Poppy, realised this before the pandemic.

We have a centralised national office that supports agents around the country – which keeps agents’ overheads low and your costs down.

Myth 5: “I need a team of agents working for me.”

While having a whole bunch of agents used to be the norm, nowadays it is much more common to work with a single agent. Having one contact person who takes all the responsibility for your sale gives you a much more personalised experience.

An agent will always work with other agents, from within their own company and from competitors, if it means getting the best price for your house.

If you are choosing an agent for your property, make sure you do extensive research about how the agent, agency and fees will work for your situation.

There are plenty of resources on the internet, including commission calculators, and you can talk to different agents.

Just don’t believe all the stories you hear around the barbie!