Data consistently shows that properties sold by professional real estate agents achieve a 15% better purchase price compared to For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listings. On a $500,000 property, a 15% difference represents $75,000 in value gained or lost, depending on whether you are buying or selling.
And pricing is just one of the major benefits you get when you choose to work with a good real-estate agent. Here are our top reasons why you should hire a real estate agent when buying or selling in Montreal.
Why hire a real estate agent when selling?
People sell for many reasons, but most aim to hit a target sale price by a specific date. To achieve this, you must complete a seller’s declaration and get your documents in order, set an attractive list price, stage it well, market it across multiple channels, manage buyer interest, and negotiate offers. A listing agent does all of this for you and more. This can help you avoid stress and maximize your profit. Here’s how a seller’s agent adds value to your home sale:
Find out when best to list
As the saying goes – fortune favours the prepared – and nowhere is this more true that in the land of real-estate sales. Despite popular opinion, real-estate in Montreal is alive all year round, from the super cold Winters, to the beautiful red leaves in Autumn, and each season offers unique sales opportunities for prepared sellers.
Whilst popular opinion recommends listing in Spring, this is not always the case. Good real-estate agents will be able to tell you when is the best time to sell your particular type of property so that it sells fast and at the best possible price. For this and many other reasons, reach out to a realtor early so that you can know well in advance when is the best time to sell your home in Montreal and by when you will need to start your preparations.
Identify home improvements
Your listing agent will be able to advise you on the which home improvement projects will yield the highest return on investment (ROI). The agent will point out both quick and low cost improvements that you can make, such as mowing your lawn and cutting back hedges to boost curb appeal. They will also point out quick repair jobs such as replacing cracked tiles, door stops, painting and so on.
The agent may also recommend higher-cost renovations that can significantly boost your property value, such as a kitchen remodel, bathroom upgrade, or new flooring. These kind of renovations should be done by qualified contractors such as licensed carpenters, electricians, plumbers, or general contractors, to ensure quality and compliance with local building codes. A low quality renovation can actually have a negative ROI, as can making upgrades that exceed what buyers in your neighbourhood expect or value.
Manage seller liabilities
Certain types of needed repairs must either be disclosed or fixed. In Quebec, it is illegal to deliberately cover up a defect in your property and hope that the buyer does not spot it. In fact, under the Civil Code of Quebec, the seller is responsible for all latent (hidden) defects in the property at the time of sale – even if they were not aware of them. This means that if you sell your home, you could receive a invoice from the buyers 6 months after the sale for repairs to your old home.
Claims of this type have risen in Montreal over the past 10 years, so many listing agents now recommend that clients obtain a pre-listing inspection. This helps to identify potential issues before listing, allowing the seller to disclose or repair them in advance and reduce the risk of future claims.
Help you with paperwork
In Quebec real-estate sales, there are many different technical documents that you need to complete your transaction. The necessary documents can vary by property type, ownership structure, municipal regulations and much more. A listing agent will explain what the documents mean, why they are important and how they can be completed so as to frame your property in the best possible light.
For example, the Seller’s Decleration is the first document that the OACIQ advises listing agents to complete with their clients. This document is where you tell the buyer all about the conditions of the property (defects, repairs, systems, etc.), so that they can best assess its value. Whilst you must be honest about the condition of your property, a good listing agent will be able to tell you what are the important things to disclose in this document and how to present them in such a way as to not deter prospective buyers.
Run a comparative market analysis
Good listing agents use a lot of market data to set the list price of a property. The process of data analysis is called a Comparative Market Analysis or, CMA. The method essentially involves researching key neighbourhood stats to see what other comparable properties in the neighbourhood sold for over the last 12 months and, to help explain differences in sale prices by either differences between properties or market trends.
Listing agents typically improve their knowledge of property differences over years of experience as they analyze more sales and understand how different features and repairs impact price. Current neighbourhood knowledge is also essential since local construction projects, zoning changes, and upcoming developments can all impact property values and buyer demand.
Marketing your property
Perhaps the biggest value add that a listing agent brings is the ability to get qualified buyers excited to visit your home. The more buyers visit your home, the more likely you are to trigger multiple offers and sell above your asking price. A good listing agent does this by, marketing your property in such a way that it stands out from the thousands of other properties listed online.
94% of buyers in Montreal begin their home buying journey by searching online listing platforms such as Centris or DuProprio. Therefore, the goal is to make your home stand out on one of those platforms and, to do this, your agent will help you to deep clean, declutter, depersonalize, re-paint your interior and exterior and stage every room of your home. There are special tricks used by listing agents such as hanging artwork at “gallery height” or, introducing greenery into your home (an interior design trick known as Biophilic design).
Once you and your agent have prepared the home, the next stage if to professionally photograph and potentially make a video of the property. All of this then gets uploaded onto an online listing which is shared across all of the major listing websites via Quebec’s Multi-Listing Service (MLS).
Run the open house and private visits
Real-estate marketing attracts prospective buyers to your home. However, the listing agent sells your home to prospective buyers in person. This will happen at either the open house or at a private visit. The open house is a scheduled event where multiple buyers can tour the property at once where as a private visit is for one buyer. In both cases, the purpose is for the prospective buyers and their agent to get a first hand look at the property and ask questions.
The top listing agents in Montreal will initiate the sale by asking questions to the buyer to identify what is it that interests them about the property. They will know how to listen, so as to gauge buyer interest and overcome objections. Before the prospect leaves, the listing agent will collect contact information to follow up with.
Negotiate with prospective buyers
Listing agents are famous for their ability to negotiate with prospective buyers.
To do this, they will first evaluate offers in their entirety. This means that they will consider price, but also the rest of the buyer’s conditions. Once the offer is well understood, the agent will communicate this offer to you. It will be your decision which offer to choose however, the agent can advise based on what they know about your goals and the buyer’s conditions.
For example, if the buyer has a 5% downpayment and no pre-approval, then there is a higher risk that the buyer will fail to satisfy the financing condition of the promise to purchase, compared with an buyer that has a pre-approval with 20% down.
Why hire a real estate agent when buying?
When you buy a new property, you are making a financial and legal commitment that stretches well beyond the current moment. For many buyer’s this choice will directly impact lifestyle that you will lead for the next five to ten years of your life. Where you shop, how you spend your weekends, your commute, and your housing costs all shape your daily life and overall sense of well-being.
A good buyer’s agent can not only help you find hidden gems, but they can also save you money, help you avoid expensive mistakes and and give you access to important legal and financial protections if something goes wrong.
Here are some of the reasons why people hire real-estate agents in Montreal:
Legal and financial protection
In Quebec, real-estate agents are regulated by the OACIQ. All licensed agents must contribute annually to the Real Estate Indemnity Fund (FICI) and to the professional liability insurance system (FARCIQ), which provide financial protections for consumers in cases of fraud, error, or misappropriation during a transaction.
For example, if your buyer’s agent omits a financing condition from your promise to purchase, you could face legal or financial liability if following a home appraisal it turns out that you can’t secure approval from the bank to finalize the deal. In Quebec, losses from such agent errors may be covered by the Real Estate Indemnity Fund (FICI) or professional liability insurance (FARCIQ). On your own, however, you’d be fully responsible for any financial losses, with no such protections.
Many real-estate agencies also take out insurance coverage for their clients. This can cover financial losses caused by latent defects, unexpected property issues, or errors in the transaction, and often includes access to legal support and compensation funds through programs like RE/MAX’s Integri‑T and Tranquilli‑T or Royal LePage’s Protection Royale.
Spot red flags early
A good buyer’s agent will spot and inform you about red flags in a property listing or walkthrough, negotiations, or conditions period.
In the early stage of your property search, this can save you a tremendous amount of time by reducing visits to properties that are unsuitable for practical reasons. For example, a good realtor will read through the seller’s declaration and any other supporting documents before first visiting a property. This will allow the agent to identify and verify any material information that might impact your decision to buy the property. The agent cannot tell you to skip a property, but they will disclose all material information so you can choose whether to see it or move on.
While real estate agents are not construction experts, they know what to watch out for during a property walkthrough. A good agent can flag potential issues with construction quality, materials, or renovations and ask will know the right questions to ask the listing agent. The realtor analyzes this information in a CMA to set a fair price before negotiations start. This can help you reduce the risk of overpaying or buying a property with hidden problems.
Finally, during the conditions period the realtor can help you fulfil on your contractual obligations and ensure that you hold the seller accountable to their commitments. For example, if your promise to purchase includes a request to review key documents, the realtor reviews them, verifies the seller’s claims, and raises any issues. If problems arise, the agent may even be able to renegotiate price or terms before closing.
Write a competitive offer
Before you make an offer to purchase, a good real-estate agent will conduct a thorough CMA to make sure that you are not overpaying for the property. Meanwhile, a top-performing agent digs deeper to uncover negotiation leverage.
This type of high octane realtor will research all kinds of publicly available information about a seller. Their goal is to find indicators that the seller has a time pressure or financial constraints that are forcing them to sell. For example, if public records show overdue property taxes or a high-interest B-lender mortgage, this could be an indicator of financial distress that the agent can leverage to negotiate more favorable terms for you.
Paperwork demystified (and completed)
In Montreal, most real estate transaction paperwork follows standardized OACIQ forms. While you may understand the wording, the legal meaning of many clauses depends on how Quebec courts have interpreted and applied them in past disputes. Experienced realtors know both which forms to use, and how that language typically operates in practice during a transaction.
In addition to the standardized forms that you use to complete the transaction, your realtor must verify every claim that could influence your buying decision. In practice, this means your agent may need to review a wide range of documents that can change based on the unique features of your property. For example, the agent may need to check zoning certificates, co-ownership declarations, maintenance logs, recent renovation permits, and so on.
Navigate contingencies
A contingency in a promise to purchase requires the buyer or seller to fulfill a specific condition before the transaction can close. Real-estate agents use these clauses to protect their clients by giving them time to complete a more thorough due diligence before finalizing the sale. Your realtor will help you understand your obligations during the contingency period.
Typical contingencies include:
- Financing
- Pre-purchase inspection
- Document review
- Title and ownership checks
- Co-ownership or condo approvals
All of these contingencies must be successfully navigated before the date agreed in the promise to purchase. Otherwise the deal is at risk of falling through.
Creative solutions to surprise problems
Title issues, inspection problems low home appraisals, missing documents and professionals cancelling on you at the last minute all buyer problems that come up.
When these things happen, an experienced realtor will know what to do. They will pick up the phone and sort things out or reach into their network to ensure that you meet the agreed deadline and sign the deed of sale on time.
Recommend tax rebate programs
Another benefit of working with a Montreal realtor is that good realtors know about federal, provincial, and municipal tax rebate programs. They help first-time and experienced buyers save tens of thousands on closing costs through programs like Montreal’s Home Purchase Assistance Program or other incentives. There are also many renovation subsidies that exist, especially for eco friendly upgrades.
Final remarks
Data consistently shows that working with a realtor improves outcomes for both buyers and sellers.
However, simply hiring a real estate agent does not guarantee a successful result. In fact, whilst a good real-estate agent can be a massive asset, a bad agent can actually slow things down, introduce additional risks and ultimately cost you thousands in unnecessary expenses.
It’s therefore important to choose an agent who combines experience and technical skill with active empathy—listening carefully, understanding your priorities, and tailoring advice to your specific situation.
To find the best agent for your project, we recommend that you use the Immovision Find An Agent Tool to generate a list of the top performing realtors in Montreal. Review their details and past transactions and then interview the top three to find the agent who you feel will work best with you.
