29 Critical Questions to Ask a Realtor Before You List
Writen by Sean Spencer
Because Finding the Right Real Estate Agent Can Make All the Difference in the Success or Failure of Your Home Sale
Selling a home involves many critical and personal decisions. However, one of the most important decisions is the first decision you need to makea decision that impacts your entire home sale:
Which real estate agent should you work with?
Unfortunately, many people make this decision based on the idea that all real estate agents are basically the same. They sign with the first agent to come along, only to realize too late that they should have shopped around.
This article is designed to help you avoid that mistake by equipping you with what to look for in selecting your agent.
Start by asking your friends and family for the names of agents they know. Look around your neighborhood for the signs, ads and marketing materials of active agents in the neighborhood. Once you’ve compiled a list of several names, use this guide to help you determine which agent is best for you.
Here are the questions you should ask each agent:
Question 1
“Could you send me some information about yourself?”
You can often get a good idea of which agents are most professional and most committed by looking at their personal marketing materialsbrochures, direct mail, listing presentation book, etc.
Call each name on your list and ask them to send out any information they can before you actually meet with them for a listing presentation. When you get the personal brochure or other materials, look them over and determine your initial impression of this person.
Are the materials they presented professional?
If not, you might ask yourself,
“If they don’t have the wherewithal to properly market themselves, how will they market my home?”
Also, keep track of how quickly and efficiently they respond to your request for information. Are they friendly and helpful? Or just pushy and hungry for a listing?
Does this seem like someone you’d be interested in talking with? If they aren’t organized and professional enough to respond promptly to your first request to find out more about them, they’ll probably handle potential buyers for your home the same way.
If you like the way they respond to you and are impressed with the information they supply, call them and invite them to make a listing presentation to you.
It’s always a good practice to meet with more than one potential agent before making a final decisionusually three to five for sellers.
Just make sure that you don’t meet with more than one from the same company. This could cause internal strife which would be counterproductive in marketing your home.
Question 2
“How do you approach your work?”
What you should be looking for, first and foremost, is an honest and knowledgeable individual, who works full time, represents a solid and reputable real estate agency, and will treat your best interests as paramount. Length of time in the business, track record of success, previous experience, expertise in and knowledge of the local real estate marketall of these are factors to consider.
While the right agent to market your home may not be number one in every aspect, you want to make sure that the person you hire is a well rounded individual whom you can trust and respect as a professional.
Question 3
“How many homes have you listed in the past six months?”
Look for an agent who is active in your area and has experience dealing with homes and situations like yours. This is especially critical if your home or transaction has special features or terms that may make it more challenging than the typical home sale.
Question 4
“How many homes have you sold in the last six months?”
Beware of agents who simply gather listings and let them sit and wait for someone else to sell them.
Your agent should have a good track record getting homes sold, which is, after all, your ultimate goal.
Question 5
“What is the average length of time your listings are on the market?”
You may automatically assume the shorter time on the market, the better. But take note:
If an average length of time on the market is significantly faster than the average for homes in the area, is it because this agent is more effective or because he or she likes to low ball the asking price in order to get homes sold more quickly?
Also, take a look at what the original asking prices are for homes the agent lists versus what the homes finally sell for. This “swing” number will tell you how effective the agent is at helping clients determine the right asking price and doing what it takes to help them get it.
Question 6
“How long have you been in the business?”
Depending on the agent’s background and track record, there is no hard and fast rule for what to look for here.
An agent may have been a licensed real estate professional for 15 years, but only selling part time and never really an active sellermaybe only handling one or two transactions per year.
Whereas another agent may have only just become licensed one or two years ago, but has a background in real estate finance, worked in real estate law for a number of years or has been a private real estate investor and has bought and sold more than 20 homes himself in the last 10 years.
Either way, you need to find someone who has an in depth knowledge of the legal ins and outs of the business as well as the characteristics of the local market, and has demonstrated competence and professionalism in getting homes sold.
Question 7
“What professional organizations do you belong to?”
The minimum here should be a fully licensed professional who’s a member of the local real estate board and multiple listing service as well as the state and National Association of Realtors.