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When you’re selling your house, it’s important to find the right agent to help you through the process. You want someone who knows the market inside and out, can give you good advice and has a proven track record of success. How do you go about finding such an agent? Here are a few tips to get you started.
Ask for Referrals
One of the best ways to find a reputable agent is through referrals, so start by asking your family and friends for recommendations. If they’ve recently sold a house or know someone else who has, they’ll often have great advice about which agents worked well for them.
Ask for Social Recommendations
Social media is now set up in such a way that you can ask for a recommendation, and others can respond with a link to a particular business or service provider’s page.
Check Ratings and Read Reviews
In the age of websites and user-generated content, it’s relatively easy to find out which businesses have been rated highest by their customers. Check online reviews from sites such as Google My Business, Yahoo! Local, Yelp.com, Angie’s List, and more. These will give you a good sense of how well an agent has done for other people in the past.
Check Your Neighborhood's “For Sale” Signs
Check your neighborhood for houses that have “for sale” signs in their front yard. Take note of the agent listed on the sign. If you see the same agent’s name more than once, that’s a really good sign that he or she is a successful expert in your area.
If there are open houses in your area, visit those, too, so you can see how an agent conducts themselves on the job.
There’s an added benefit to attending open houses in your area, and that’s to see how they compare with yours in size, style, and condition. It gives you an inside view of the competition.
Interview More Than One Agent
It’s important to interview multiple agents so you can find the best one for your situation. Try to interview at least three or more. Once you’ve met them in person, you’re able to determine which one feels like the best fit for your needs.
Remember, this is about hiring a team member more than just selecting a real estate agent. You want to find someone who’s going to add value and work hard on your behalf throughout the entire selling process.
Interviewing more than one also gives you a good ball-park figure of the average commission rate.
Hire Someone You Feel Comfortable With
A real estate transaction can be a very emotional process for some people. If you’re not feeling comfortable with a particular agent, it may impact your view of your property or drive down its value. Make sure to hire someone who has strong interpersonal skills and whom you feel at ease around.
Questions to Ask a Seller's Agent in an Interview
You don’t have to ask every question on the following list, but it will give you a great starting point and a good selection to choose from. Here are some questions you might ask a seller’s agent in an interview.
- How long have you been a sellers’ real estate agent?
- How long have you been helping buyers find homes like mine in this neighborhood?
- What do you think the condition is of the current real estate market in this area?
- Is it a buyers’ market or a sellers’ market?
- What is your commission rate?
- Are you on a team? Who else will be working on my transaction that I should speak with directly?
- How many listings have you had in this neighborhood or for homes like mine in the last year or so?
- What were their original list prices, and what were the final sale prices?
- How much did you sell a similar property in a neighborhood like mine for recently?
- What do you think the value of my house is right now, considering it needs repairs or updating?
- What marketing plan or strategies will you use to sell my house, and what kind of results can I expect from your plans?
- Should I have repairs made before you take pictures and get the listing ready to go?
- How would you advise me to stage my property?
- How would you suggest that I price my house for sale?
- What are the benefits of hiring you?
- Is there anything about my house or neighborhood that might make it difficult to sell quickly?
- When can I expect to have an offer if we start working together?
- When will you be able to provide feedback on showings, and how many showings should I expect to have in the next few weeks or months?
- What happens if my house doesn’t sell?
- How should I expect us to communicate: by phone, text message, or email?
- How often will we communicate?
- Are you a member of NAR®, the National Association of Realtors®?
- Do you have any client referrals I can contact?
Conclusion
You need a great sellers’ agent on your side when you’re ready to list your house for sale. The seller’s agent should clearly understand the market value of your home, help you to price it correctly both for sale speed and to get you top dollar, meet your goals, and be able to complete the sale within a certain timeframe.
The list of questions above will help you find the right agent who fits your needs and the current market conditions.
Finding a great real estate agent can save time and money, but only if you do your homework first. Whether you’re buying or selling, don’t trust it to just anyone. Make sure you interview several agents and ask as many questions as necessary until you feel comfortable with your selection.
