Are you going to sell your house? You need to find a trusted guide by your side first: You will need an experienced real estate agent! Here we’ll share with you some useful tips on how to find an experienced realtor in pulling off this most important of all transactions. Not all real estate agents are created equal. Here’s how to find a house agent to suit your needs best.
Collect referrals, but take them with a grain of salt
There are many different kinds of agents out there. So how do you choose within this bunch of agents? Go ahead and ask your family and fellows for referrals, but don’t fall into the trap of picking a realtor simply because of pleasant reviews.
You will need a real estate agent who is very familiar with the blocks and area. The reason is simple: If they’ve spent a lot of time in the area, they’ll know exactly how to market your house as quickly as possible there.
So a better question to ask your pals than “Do you know any estate realtors?” is, “Do you know a real estate agent who sold any properties in my area in the last few years?”
Assess their communication skills
When you have some potentials, email them or have a phone chat with them, then await an answer. This is your first step to test how responsive your agent is, which is a key component to sell your house. Ideally, the agents will get back to you that same day.
Investigate their experience
To start a conversation with a prospective home agent should be like any job interview: Don’t wait or feel afraid to question their experience or ask the tough questions. A qualified agent should know his sales stats, and any hedging around the numbers could mean he’s holding something back. To question an agent effectively you should ask the following:
How long have you been a home agent? Ideal for agents to have at least two years of experience, which would be enough to learn the ropes and fine-tune their selling plans.
How many houses did you sell in nearly two years? Look for agents with stats exceeding the industry average. You could sell your home at a better price with a little more forethought.
What percentage of listings do you sell? Ideally, you need a realtor who has sold an average of 50% to 80%.
Test their technical skills
To sell a property quickly, you need to reach as many potential buyers as you can. To test an agent’s ability to do that, ask this question:
How will you market my house?
An agent should use at least one popular brokerage website to market your listing, such as national listing portals. They should use at least Twitter or Facebook to market listings, and they could also post photos to advertise on Instagram.
Don’t get things cheap
Finally, don’t assume the agent who costs the least is the right one for you. While agents work at different price points, and some may take a lower commission, they should be confident in their services and professionalism to stand by their prices. So when you’re talking about terms, ask agents if they’ll work on a discount. If they jump at the chance early on in the conversation, that might be a red flag.
How could reputable agents protect your money if they can’t even protect theirs? It will be a good way to test their confidence in their abilities at least.
Featured image: DepositPhotos – ArturVerkhovetskiy
