Picking Your Realtor
In a buyers’ market, it is important to know the questions to ask a realtor who is about to market your home.
Steps
- Make sure s/he is familiar with the neighborhood.
- Find out how successful s/he has been in the past.
- Ask for references from the realtor’s past few transactions.
- Gauge the agent’s honesty. Is s/he willing to tell you the value of your home compared to others in the neighborhood, or is s/he just trying to “buy” the listing?
- Consider the size of the brokerage. What kind of networking can you expect? Is it a one-man show or many collegues to draw upon?
- Find out if the agent has a marketing plan, and what it is.
- Specifically, ask the following questions about the Realtor’s marketing plan to help you identify the top-quality realtors: “Who do you think is the right target audience to buy my home?” “How do you plan on reaching that target market?” (Note: the average newspaper reader is 55 years old and over 75% of home buyers start their search online - if your realtor doesn’t have an online marketing plan, consider a different realtor). “What are the steps in your marketing plan.” “When Do you think that we’ll be able to get a) calls of interest, b) showings, c) offers?”
- Think about communication. What is the agent’s preferred method? Email? Phone Calls? And how often — Weekly? Daily?
- Ensure that the agent specializes in your type of home, i.e. condo, waterfront property, land.
- Is the agent internet savvy?
- Does the agent have an active real estate license in good standing?
- Ask for references and look at the successes of their past listings.
- Ask “will you represent me exclusively or will you represent both the buyer and the seller in the transaction?”
Source: How to Select a Realtor
Tags: choosing a realtor
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