Choosing a commercial property agent is one of the most consequential decisions a landlord or property owner makes. Get it right and the property sells or lets efficiently at the right price. Get it wrong and the property sits on the market for months — or years — while the agent blames conditions beyond their control.
Most owners make the decision based on one of two factors: who gave them the highest valuation, or who offered the lowest fee. Neither of these is a reliable guide to who will actually get the result.
The Valuation Problem
Agents know that a higher valuation wins instructions. This creates an incentive to be optimistic at valuation — to tell the owner what they want to hear rather than what the market evidence supports. The property goes to market at an ambitious price, generates limited interest, and three months later the agent is having a very different conversation about a reduction.
The right valuation is not the highest one. It is the most accurate one. Ask any agent you're considering to show you the comparable evidence — what similar properties in your area have actually sold or let for in the last six months. Not what they were asking. What they achieved. The difference between those two numbers is often significant.
The Fee Problem
A lower fee is attractive on paper. But it only represents a saving if the property sells or lets. An agent on a lower fee who fails to achieve a result costs you more than an agent on a higher fee who does. The fee is a relatively small element of the overall financial equation on a commercial property transaction. The price achieved, the timeline, and the quality of the tenant or buyer are far more significant.
What Actually Matters
The questions worth asking a commercial agent are not "what do you think it's worth?" and "what's your fee?" They are:
What specifically will you do to reach buyers or tenants beyond the portal listings? If the answer is vague — "we have a large database," "we'll do targeted marketing" — push for specifics. Who will you contact, how, and when?
How often will you update me, and what will that update contain? The answer should be weekly, and it should cover what activity has happened, what feedback has come from viewings, and what the plan is for the next week. Anything less is not acceptable on a live instruction.
Is commercial property your entire business, or one of several disciplines you cover? An agent who is also doing residential work, mortgage valuations, surveys, and management work is not giving your instruction the attention it deserves. Commercial property is a specialism. Treat it like one.
How do you run viewings? The answer should not be "we book them one at a time." The Commercial Showcase Viewing — a structured single-session event that brings all interested parties to the property simultaneously — is the most effective viewing format in commercial property. If an agent has never run one, that tells you something important about how they approach the job.