Choosing a commercial real estate agent in Eindhoven: from shortlist to a clear instruction

1. Start by preparing a one-page brief

Note the address, current use, floor area and layout, letting status, available documents and your objective. Do you want to sell to a business owner who will occupy the property, find an investor or generate rental income first? Also specify when you need a decision. Send the same brief to every agency; otherwise, you will be comparing different instructions rather than different agents.

• Property: industrial building, warehouse, unit, office, shop or tenanted investment property.
• Objective: sale, letting, purchase or taking a lease; with or without continued own occupation.
• Parameters: preferred timetable, confidentiality and any tenants or co-owners.
• Documentation: measurements, contracts, maintenance, permits and energy/connection information.

2. Ask for evidence of local sector knowledge

Ask for recent, comparable instructions in Eindhoven and the surrounding area. A reference is only useful if the property type, size, condition and transaction are reasonably similar. Ask what the agency itself did and which target audience it reached. Not every transaction can be publicly disclosed with its address and price; anonymised examples may therefore be more useful than a long list of names.

Ask the agency to explain when the search area should remain within Eindhoven and when Best, Veldhoven or Waalre are relevant. These are not automatically equivalent markets. The choice depends on business operations, accessibility, permitted use and the occupier's requirements. Ask for the reasoning for each location rather than a general reference to Brainport.

3. Ask for a clear distinction between valuation and asking price

An asking price is a sales strategy, not a guaranteed return. Ask which comparable properties, lease terms and technical characteristics support the valuation estimate. For a tenanted property, ask for separate explanations of the impact of the lease term, tenant, ownership costs and maintenance. A high estimate without verifiable supporting evidence is no reason to choose an agency.

4. Compare the approach as well as the commission

• Target audience: which businesses or investors are genuinely suited to this property?
• Presentation: who handles photography, floor plans, measurement data and document checks?
• Reach: which channels and targeted contacts will be used?
• Follow-up: who qualifies prospective buyers or tenants and who conducts viewings?
• Reporting: what information will you receive about responses, objections and next steps?
• Negotiation: who reviews the terms and liaises with the civil-law notary or legal adviser?

5. Compare the total costs

Ask each agency about the basis for calculating commission, VAT, any minimum fees, set-up costs, external expenses and costs if you withdraw or no transaction takes place. Fees on request means that no quotation has yet been published; it does not mean the agency is expensive or cheap. Calculate each proposal using the same transaction scenario and compare which services are included.

6. Check the agency agreement before you sign

Record whether the instruction is exclusive, how long it runs, how you can terminate it and when a fee becomes payable. Also discuss prospects you introduce yourself, a sale after termination and potential conflicts of interest. Have unclear or far-reaching clauses reviewed by a legal adviser. No sale, no fee does not in itself tell you anything about all additional costs.

A practical decision point: an evidence-based shortlist

Compare the same elements for each agency: relevant experience, valuation evidence, a workable approach, point of contact, total costs and contract terms. Do not give a proposal extra weight simply because an agency is large or has many online reviews. Choose the firm that understands your case, identifies uncertainties and confirms a realistic approach in writing.