12 Step Guide to Getting Your Home SOLD!
Hello again, Savvy Home Sellers!
Welcome back to my 12 Step Guide for Getting Your Home SOLD!
Step 1: Finding a Listing Agent Who Will Help You Sell Your Home, Not Keep It.
Today we will jump back into Step 1: How to Find a Listing Agent Who Will Help You Sell Your Home, Not Keep It. Last time, in Part A of Step 1, we discussed how to get started on your search for the best listing agent to help you sell your home quickly, and for the highest rate of return for you. Today, we will discuss questions you should ask when you are interviewing potential listing agents so that you can choose the perfect agent for you.
Part B: Questions to Ask Potential Listing Agents
Once you've narrowed down your list of potential agents, contact each agent and set up a preliminary meeting. This meeting will give you a chance to meet and get to know each agent, their personality, business background, market plan, and their real estate services. Here are some questions that will help you learn more about each potential listing agent and to select the best Realtor for you.
Are you a full-time professional Realtor? How long have you worked in Real Estate full time?
-A Realtor who is a full-time agent rather than one who practices real estate on the side will have greater knowledge of the local market and will better know how to get your home sold.
What is your marketing plan to sell my home?
-Ask the Realtor about his or her plan to get your home in front of the eyes of buyers and buyers' agents. The Realtor should have a well-developed plan that includes several different marketing techniques. Ask for a free in-home listing presentation.
How do you determine a listing price for my home?
-Be wary of a Realtor who plans to price your home excessively high or excessively low, as both strategies will likely put off buyers. Look for a Realtor who prices your home based on current market conditions, a market analysis, and other local information. Find out how much your home is worth.
How much commission do you charge?
-In our area, buyers don't pay a dime to have a buyer's agent help them find a home. Usually, the seller pays 6% commission of the sales price, which will be split 3% to the listing agent broker and 3% to the buyer's agent broker. A good Realtor will do an estimated selling net proceeds, where he or she will estimate your closing cost and how much you will net after selling your home.
How many homes have you listed over the past year?
-A good listing agent will typically list one or two homes per month, and a good Realtor should sell all or most of the homes he or she has listed. A listing agent who has only listed two homes in the past year or who has only sold 25% of the homes he has listed is likely not a listing agent you want to list your home with.
May I have the names of some of your past clients?
-It is a good idea to contact people who have worked with that agent in the past. References like these can give you a good "whole picture" of what working with that Realtor is like, and they can point out things you may not have considered about an agent.
Asking the right questions will help you select the Realtor who will get the job done: get your home SOLD in the least amount of time for the highest rate of return for you. Learn more about the questions you should ask real estate listing agent candidates.
In Step 1 of this "12 Step Guide for Getting Your Home SOLD," you learned about the importance of choosing the right listing agent, how to get started finding an agent, and the types of questions to ask potential listing agents.
Next time in Step 2, you will learn about how to price your home in a way that will cause it to sell. Remember, the factors that influence the price of your home are NOT what you paid, or what you need, but it is what the buyers are willing to pay. Understanding what goes into pricing your home will make it much easier to price your home correctly and have a successful home selling process.
Until Next Time,
Ana Spradling, Your Realtor with Real Results
As your local full-time listing agent, I use Internet and traditional marketing strategies to promote your house to the greatest number of buyers. I provide free services such as photography to attract through the pictures a great number of buyers online to come see your home, and staging to make your home look its best when potential buyers come see your home. To learn more about what to expect from my real estate services when selling your home, contact me at (913) 954-7123, or visit my website, AnaSpradling.ReeceAndNichols.com/
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