Sellers what do you expect from your Real Estate Agent? 

Most sellers will say to sell my home at the highest possible price with the least inconvenience.

But, how do Real Estate Agents differ?

We all have different approaches and views on how to accomplish our seller's goals.  When you are interviewing a Realtor for the job of selling your home, I would urge you to first LISTEN to what the Realtor says:

Is he or she trying to identify what's important to you in selling your home? 

• Is the Realtor's approach more consultative vs. "salesy"?
• Do you feel like there's a connection between the two of you?
• Do they understand the market trends in your local area?  Can they intelligently predict, based on hard data, the pricing trend in your area?
• Do they know the inventory and how many months of inventory is there on the market currently?

Here're some of the questions to ask:

• How will you market my property?  A good Realtor will have a nice mix of internet, "snail" mail, e-mail, paper/magazine advertising.  She will also market to top agents in the area, neighbors and current sellers that could fall into the move-up category for your home.
• How will you keep in touch with me throughout the process?  A Realtor should be updating their clients via phone at least once a week and should be able to provide access to a personal website where you'll be able to track activities on the sale of your home.  If you like using email, is your agent email savvy?  How often do they check it?  Do they have set times for returning their voicemails daily?
• Do they have an assistant or helper for when they're out of town or unavailable?
• Do they have a full blown campaign ready to go the moment the listing is ready to be put on the market with custom color flyers, personal websites, 800 number (IVR) technology?  It usually takes at least 7 to 10 days to line everything up so that your home is marketed correctly on day 1.  The first 2 weeks of putting your home on the market are the most critical.  Make sure that everything is perfect and not rolled out "piece-meal".
• Will they stage your home?  A staged home will sell for more money and in less time than a home that is not staged.  Click here for more information on staging.
• Does he/she have Showcase homes on Realtor.com?  Featured Homes?  Only very few Realtors have Featured Homes.  These spots give your home unprecedented exposure with hundreds of hits daily.
• Are there tracking reports available for all activities on my listing?  A good Realtor will provide you with weekly stats.
• How often will you reevaluate the market and my competition?  It's critical to make sure that you and your Realtor know what your competition is so that an appropriate strategy is used.
• What kind of pricing strategy would be best used for my home?  There's a fixed price and a Value Range Marketing Price.  A good Realtor will be able to discuss the best pricing strategy and recommend the one that is right for you.
• How many Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are in my area?  In the Pasadena area, there are 2 distinct MLSs and another 2 that are on the border.  To get the maximum exposure, your home should be listed in ALL of them. 
• Where does most of the Realtor's business come from?  You want to hear - REFERRALS!  What a great indication of them doing a spectacular job if their clients refer them to more.

Don't be afraid to ask for names and telephone numbers of past clients.  Your home, in most instances, is your largest investment.  ASK, ASK, ASK and LISTEN!

All Realtors are NOT created equal!  Do your homework and Good Luck!