Tendering a Sales Mandate: Why You Don’t Need to Search for a Real Estate Agent Yourself
You want to sell your house. The decision has been made. Perhaps you already have a rough idea of the selling price. Now the next question arises:
Which real estate agent should you appoint?
The traditional route is familiar.
You research real estate agents in your region, visit various websites, read reviews and arrange initial meetings.
You then have your property valued and request offers.
But there is another approach.
Instead of searching for several agents yourself, you can enter your property once and invite agents to apply for your sales mandate.
This difference does not necessarily change the property sale itself. Above all, it changes how owners choose their real estate agent.
1. What does it mean to tender a sales mandate?
A sales mandate is the instruction a property owner gives to a real estate agent to market and broker the sale of their property.
In a tender process, the owner first describes their property and the key requirements for the planned sale.
Interested agents can then submit an offer to take on the mandate.
In it, they may explain, for example, which services they offer, how they intend to organise the marketing and which terms apply.
The owner then decides whether, and with which agent, they would like to work.
The difference from the traditional agent search therefore lies in the sequence.
With the traditional approach, the owner first selects potential agents and asks them for a quote.
With a tender, the property and the specific sales requirements come first.
The agents apply for the owner’s mandate.
2. Why the traditional route can be time-consuming
Anyone who wants to sell their house often starts with an online search.
“real estate agent Zurich”
“sell house Aargau”
“best real estate agent Winterthur”
The search results lead to estate agencies, review platforms and property portals.
But which provider is actually the right fit for your property?
One agent may, for example, have extensive experience with condominiums.
Another may specialise in single-family homes.
Another may focus on premium properties or investment properties.
Owners therefore have to gather various pieces of information before they can make an informed decision.
That takes time.
There is also a risk that the selection is limited to those agents who are particularly visible on Google or who are already personally known.
High online visibility, however, is not automatically proof that an agent is best suited to a particular property.
3. What changes when agents apply to the owner?
Let us imagine an owner who wants to sell her 4.5-room condominium in the canton of Zurich.
She wants professional support throughout the sale.
However, she does not yet know which agent she should appoint.
Instead of contacting several estate agencies individually, she enters her property on a platform where agents can submit offers for sales mandates.
Interested agents are thereby given the opportunity to present themselves based on a specific sales project.
One agent might, for example, highlight their experience with comparable condominiums.
Another places particular emphasis on their marketing strategy.
A third explains which services are included in their commission.
As a result, the owner receives different offers relating to the same property.
The advantage is not automatically finding as many agents as possible. What matters is receiving relevant offers for a specific sales mandate.
Whether and how many agents apply depends, among other things, on the region, the property and the participation of interested agents.
4. One property – different sales strategies
Not every real estate agent would market the same property in the same way.
This can be illustrated with a fictional example.
A single-family home has an estimated market value of CHF 1'300'000.
Three agents are interested in the sales mandate.
Agent A recommends broad public marketing with professional images, property portals and a targeted approach to families.
Agent B suggests first approaching their existing network of potential buyers and then listing the property publicly.
Agent C wants to position the house particularly strongly through its location and the development potential of the plot.
All three approaches can make sense depending on the property.
The key question is therefore not only:
“Which agent charges the lowest commission?”
But rather:
“Which agent has the most convincing sales strategy for my property?”
Owners should also critically assess how the recommendations are justified.
A particularly high promised selling price alone is not a sign of quality.
5. What information does an agent need for a quote?
In order for an agent to submit a meaningful offer, they need information about the property.
This typically includes the location, property type, approximate living space, number of rooms, year of construction and condition.
The owner’s personal situation may also be relevant.
Should the property be sold as soon as possible?
Is a specific handover date important?
Are renovations pending?
Or would the owner first like to learn about different sales strategies?
The more precisely the initial situation is described, the better an agent can assess whether the mandate fits their experience and service offering.
However, an initial quote does not necessarily replace a viewing or an in-depth property valuation.
Especially with special properties, additional clarifications may be necessary before a binding sales plan is defined.
6. What should a good real estate agent quote include?
A real estate agent quote should enable the owner to understand the service being offered.
This begins with a description of the planned services.
Who prepares the sales documentation?
Are professional property photos included?
On which platforms will the property be listed?
Who organises viewings and conducts price negotiations?
The costs must also be transparent.
Will a percentage-based commission or a fixed price be agreed?
What additional expenses may arise?
When do fees become due?
In addition, it should be clear which further steps are planned before an agency agreement is concluded.
7. Does tendering to agents mean several agents sell at the same time?
No. Here, two different situations must be distinguished.
Obtaining several real estate agent quotes initially only means that owners look at different offers for a sales mandate.
This is not yet the awarding of a mandate.
Appointing several agents at the same time, on the other hand, is a question of the subsequent contract structure.
In Switzerland, exclusive mandates and simple mandates are among the common arrangements.
The specific rights and obligations are set out in the respective contract.
Anyone who receives several quotes can therefore still decide to appoint only one agent afterwards.
Our guide explains more: Exclusive mandate or simple mandate: Which brokerage mandate is right for you?.
8. Is the cheapest agent quote automatically the best?
The first charges a commission of 2 percent.
The second charges 2.5 percent.
Based on an assumed selling price of CHF 1'200'000, this corresponds to CHF 24'000 and CHF 30'000 respectively.
The difference is CHF 6'000.
The amounts are a fictional calculation example and do not take into account any VAT or additional costs.
The cheaper agent therefore costs less at first.
But which services are included in the offers?
What experience do the two agents have with comparable properties?
How do the proposed marketing strategies differ?
And how will the subsequent sales process be supported?
Only once these questions have been answered can the quote be assessed meaningfully.
A higher commission does not guarantee a better selling price.
Conversely, a lower commission does not automatically mean poorer service.
Owners should therefore compare the entire offer and not focus exclusively on the price.
Owners should therefore compare the entire offer and not focus exclusively on the price.
9. What should owners check before awarding a mandate?
Before an agent is appointed in a binding manner, the key points should be clarified in writing.
These include in particular the scope of services, remuneration, any additional costs, the contract term, termination options and possible commission claims after the contract ends.
The legal basis for the brokerage agreement can be found in Art. 412 et seq. of the Swiss Code of Obligations.
A particularly important question is under which conditions a commission is owed.
Under Art. 413 CO, the entitlement to brokerage remuneration generally arises when the intended contract is concluded as a result of the agent’s indication or mediation.
Special rules apply to agreed expenses.
The specific contract structure should therefore be reviewed before signing.
A quote and a later agency agreement are not automatically the same thing.
10. How choosing an agent via Makli works
Makli starts with the selection of the real estate agent.
Owners can enter their property on the platform free of charge.
Suitable real estate agents are given the opportunity to apply for the sales mandate with an offer.
The owner can then assess the quotes received.
The focus is not only on the terms, but also on the services offered and the proposed sales strategy.
The key difference:
The owner does not first have to decide which agents they would like to contact. They can present their property and allow interested agents to submit offers.
Whether this leads to cooperation is up to the owner.
Makli does not guarantee a specific number of offers or a specific selling price.
However, the platform creates an additional way to obtain agent quotes for a specific property.
11. When is this approach particularly worthwhile?
Tendering a sales mandate can be particularly interesting when owners do not yet have a preferred agent.
Those who want to learn about different marketing strategies can also benefit from several offers.
It also applies to people who want to sell an inherited house or are facing a property change.
Especially with decisions like these, it is helpful to obtain different professional perspectives.
Anyone who has already concluded an agency agreement should, however, first check their existing contractual obligations before awarding another mandate.
Conclusion: Don’t just compare agents – receive offers for your property
Selling property is an important financial decision.
The choice of agent should therefore not be based solely on a Google search, a personal recommendation or the first consultation.
One alternative is to tender the sales mandate and allow interested agents to submit concrete offers.
This makes the property, together with the owner’s needs, the starting point for choosing an agent.
The quotes received can then be assessed based on services, strategy and terms.
You are not looking for an agent. Agents apply to you.
Enter your property once → receive agent offers → compare sales mandates → decide for yourself.
Makli for property owners
Enter your property once → receive agent offers → compare sales mandates → decide for yourself.
Makli for property owners