Selecting a Realtor To Sell Your Home
Your home is more than likely the largest asset that you have.
You want to get the most money out of the sale of your home. At
the same time you want to have a realistic marketing time of
your house with a sales price that meets your expectation. This
is where picking the right realtor is so important.
Wherever you live there seems to be a disproportionate amount of
realtors around in relation to the population. Indeed, if you
live in a medium sized city, there are generally thousands from
which to choose. You can ask friends or relatives their
experiences in selling a home and if they would recommend the
realtor that they worked with. This can be a start. You may see
and hear advertising in your area by real estate companies. Once
you start the selection process pick at least 3-5 agents to
individually meet with you at your home.
First impressions count. The realtor should be prompt for the
appointment. The realtor should be prepared to ask you specific
questions concerning your home. The realtor should have an
information checklist with him. He should come back to you at a
later time to give you an objective as possible listing price
with a projected marketing time for the sale of your home. You
do not want a yes man who will give you what you want to hear.
You want to have a list price that is presentable to the public
based on recent sales. You do not want a high list price that
was given to get the listing. This will only have to be reduced
at a later point after losing valuable "fresh" on the market
time.
You have every right to ask questions of the realtor. In
addition to what the commission will be, you would want to know
how well this realtor knows your neighborhood. You would want to
know if the realtor is full time or part time. You want to know
how long this person has been in the real estate profession and
what that person's production has been over that last year. If
you are the type of person who requires on going communication
during the marketing process ask what is the realtor's response
time.
You want to have an honest agent. This agent should keep your
confidence and be frank with you at all times. This will create
a sense of the realtor and you being a team and real partners.