Find A Listing Agent
A listing agent has your back, she has the care and skill include helping you arrive at an appropriate and realistic listing price, discovering and disclosing facts that affect you, and properly presenting the contracts that you sign. It also means making reasonable efforts to market the property, such as advertising and holding open houses, and helping the seller evaluate the terms and conditions of offers to purchase.
Investigation to Find a Great Listing Agent
You have the total control over when to hire a listing agent. The home angels are on your side! I recommend to target finding an agent at least 2 months before the day your home will be listed in the market. It might seem a lot but you will be glad to have this buffer time frame especially if you and your agent decide to make some repairs or upgrades before going live.
The first logical step then would be to talk with your friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues in case they have any agents within their network that you can entrust. Good references and familiarity is important.
The next step would be to consult our dear friend: the internet. You will see agent profiles under real estate websites such as Zillow, Trulia etc. Also, keep in mind that some websites such as realtor.com® have reference books that allow a quick local search. You may get in touch with any local agent that you like their website, listings, marketing plans etc.
Before making any decisions, I recommend for you to interview at least 3 agents. You should prepare and do your research before these interviews. There must be some questions you should be asking your agent to gain knowledge of her years of experience, number of homes sold/ volume of sales, average selling time, past client references.
You can use below questions to go in detail when you and your agent meet:
- Are you a full time or a part time agent?
I know some good part time agents who put in every minute and effort in their work. However, keep in mind that as in most things in life, experience comes with practice.
- How long have you been in the business?
Just like the first question, you are trying to understand how experienced the agent is in your local market. If she/ he is a new agent ask the following question:
- Do you have a team you are working with or how many homes your brokerage sold within last 3/6/12 months? This question can also be asked to the experienced agents.
You will need to make sure that you are going to be represented by a person/ brokerage who understands your community and neighborhood.
- What is the price range of homes you sell?
This is especially important if your home is in the luxury segment. However keep in mind that most agents work with multiple ranges as for every homeowner their home is their biggest investment.
- How much commission will you be charging?
There are no fixed commissions in real estate therefore it is important for you to learn the agent’s commission rate.
- How will you market my home?
We are in the 21st century and there are no excuses for an agent not to have a comprehensive marketing plan for your listing. Your agent should not be just doing passive marketing such as stick a For Sale sign in your yard and list your home on the internet. Look for agents who are willing to provide you active marketing such as staging your home, getting professional photographs, scheduling open houses. Stay tuned for a comprehensive blog post on how an agent should go even beyond these marketing tactics.
- Am I going to be in direct communication with you or with a team?
As mentioned earlier, some agents work within teams and they may distribute the workload among themselves. It is up to you to decide if you want more than one person to work for you under the same fee or if you would feel more comfortable one person has the sole knowledge and responsibility.
- How long are your homes in the market?
This will be a good indicator of your agent’s skills. If the market is tough, your agent should explain you thoroughly what the expect within the pipeline.
Let’s say you have two identical agents to make a selection from, I suggest go with the agent who will understand your goals and work towards them, an agent with a personality you like and someone who is not afraid to fight for you and will never leave a penny on the table. In essence, find an agent that values your best interest.
