How to choose a real estate agent
How many listings at my home’s asking price have you sold over the past 0-12 months?
This is a good question to help understand the difference between an agent who “can sell” and one that “has sold” homes at you price point, recently. Most experienced Realtors will have an electronic device or laptop with them, have them pull up their sales history directly from the MLS and show you exactly what they’ve listed and sold. This will answer a lot of questions and it’s always nice when you can see it for yourself.
What would you list our home at, and why? What is your list price to selling price ratio recently?
This is a good one to understand how the potential agent approaches the sometimes challenging task of setting the correct list price. Once you have asked how the agent would set the list price, it would be helpful to understand how close to the list prices did the properties the agent sold go for. The selling to asking price ratio is helpful and in most cases can be seen in the MLS. The higher the ratio, the closer they came to selling the home for its listing price. This ratio gives you an indication of how well the realtor is able to set a realistic selling price. Too many times a seller may be told what they want to hear in order to get the listing, this may not always result in a good selling price in the end. So now your facts from the start and ask for examples.
Tell me about the marketing plan you will use for getting our home sold?
Agents can have significantly varying marketing plans. Some may use home staging, professional photography and videography are tools that leading realtors use to effectively ensure that your property shows to its full potential in the MLS and on-line marketing material. Some will do open houses and even be present for all showings personally. Do they use Social Media effectively to reach potential buyers (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) can typically be a significant component to a marketing program. Do they do any radio, TV and or magazine advertising? Do they have a web site and will your home be displayed on the home page? This sounds like a silly question, but you may be surprised at some of the answers you receive. So, please make sure you ask questions and hire the correct Realtor for your family. It will make things go do much smoother if you do the work upfront. You should be able to trust your Realtor, let them do their job. This will take the stress off of you and allow you to focus on all the other things that comes along with getting a home sold!
