Most sellers do not know what to look for in an agent track record. They look at the price and the suburb and form an impression. What they should be looking for is a set of ratios, patterns, and gaps that the agent did not include.
The Problem with Taking Agent Sales Records at Face Value
Omitting failed campaigns is the third distortion. An agent track record shows sales. It does not show listings that expired without selling, properties that were withdrawn after prolonged market exposure, or campaigns where the final price came in significantly below the original asking price. Those outcomes exist. They are just not presented.
Track records are not lies. They are selections. And the selection is always made in the interest of the agent presenting them, not the seller evaluating them. Understanding that does not require distrust. It requires the right questions.
What an agent includes in a track record is information. What they leave out is also information.
What DOM and Vendor Discount Rate Tell Sellers About Agent Performance
Clearance rate - the proportion of listings that actually sell within the campaign period rather than expiring or being withdrawn - is the metric most agents do not volunteer. It is also one of the most revealing. An agent with a high clearance rate is managing campaigns to completion. An agent with a low clearance rate is generating listings that the market does not convert - which may reflect pricing strategy, buyer management quality, or both.
These metrics do not stand alone. A low DOM with a high vendor discount suggests the agent accepted a low offer quickly rather than holding price. Reading them in combination is what produces a useful picture of agent performance rather than a misleading one.
DOM tells you speed. Vendor discount tells you price. Clearance rate tells you consistency. None of them tells the full story alone.
The Questions That Get Past Polished Sales Data
Ask for the average vendor discount across their recent sales. If the agent presents this voluntarily, it is a positive signal. If they do not, ask for it directly. A vendor discount of one to two percent across a competitive market is a strong result. Five percent or more requires an explanation - either the market was difficult, the pricing was consistently optimistic, or the negotiation was not holding price.
Ask whether any listings in the last twelve months expired or were withdrawn. Ask this question directly, not as part of a longer conversation where it can be absorbed and redirected. The answer and the way it is delivered both carry information. An agent who claims a perfect record across dozens of listings is either extraordinarily fortunate or presenting an incomplete picture.
Most sellers spend more time researching a household appliance than verifying an agent track record. The asymmetry between effort and stakes is the most correctable mistake in the agent selection process.
The one who deflects them is showing you the same behaviour they will show buyers when holding price gets difficult.
Turning Track Record Analysis into a Useful Selection Tool
Sellers who treat track record evaluation as a step in the selection process rather than a formality seller due diligence are the ones least likely to find themselves considering a mid-campaign agent change.
Track records are the starting point. The questions you ask about them are the tool that makes the starting point useful.