"Often a lifetime’s earnings have gone into this asset.  Quite rightly, people expect to get it all back plus a lot more," said Clarke, "but this will only be achieved if the estate agent is trustworthy, reliable and effective."

So, how does the person-in-the-street with limited knowledge of property find an agent worth his salt?  How does he decide between the rival claims of several major agencies, and possibly some smaller ones, all of whom appear to offer the same service?  How can the seller know if the local operator with good community contacts is better or weaker than the nationally powerful big brander who may have so far played a relatively minor role in his area?

"The seller," said Clarke, "must arm himself to make the right decisions.

"The first question he simply has to ask of the agent is, 'Do you have the professional qualifications (and related Fidelity Fund Certificate) which are today regarded as absolute essentials for an agent?  If you do have them, what other training courses have you attended and what awards have you won?'"

Then, too, said Clarke, the agent must be able to show that he is completely committed.

"There are still large numbers of agents who do this work part-time.  That, in my view, is not satisfactory.  Almost instant availability is essential in this business and, although I always advise agents against taking out more than ten mandates at any one time, it is also true that the busy, full-time operators are those that are by far the most successful."

Clarke said that, before appointing an agent, he would check that he has own website and that he is not making use of a generic website, or an agents’ portal where hundreds of thousands of listings appear.

He would also Google the search word "residential properties" in the area in which he is selling his home to see if the agent’s company appears on the first page of Google - anything less than that, said Clarke, is not acceptable as the buyer will never find it.

"We are," he said, "now in an age where the electronic media dictate the pace.  I would, therefore, expect any agent I appoint not only to be communicating via email and to be doing this fast in answer to my initial queries but also to have access to a dedicated, often expensive, Pay per Click Program.  Regrettably, many of the smaller agencies simply cannot afford this service."

It is a further big advantage if the agent has branch franchise or head office back up that can iron out his clerical, accounting and contract documentation for him, said Clarke.

"Although one has to admire many of the one man bands, the truth is that the agent operating on his own can be sidetracked for hours and even days in attending to clerical and legal matters when he should be selling your home."

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