How do you find the best Coachella Valley REALTOR to sell your home? Here are a couple of tips and reminders to help you hire the right agent from a pool of candidates. With a lot of real estate resources available online, selling your home in the greater Palm Springs area on your own might have crossed your mind. This confidence can, however, be misplaced. Not everything you see online is accurate representations of selling a home. When you consider some important factors, the services of an expert are incredibly helpful.
So, how do you find the best Coachella Valley Listing agent to help you sell your home? Here are some of the things you can do.
Set Up an Interview
Getting to know prospective listing agents is crucial to help you identify the best fit in the bunch. In a one-on-one interview, you can ask them a variety of qualifying questions, such as:
- Is this your full-time job?
- Are you a dual agent?
- How long have you been working as a listing agent?
- How many homes did you sell in the past three months or the past year?
- What is the price range of the properties you've sold?
- What are the areas you specialize in?
- Have you sold a home in my neighborhood? If yes, how many?
An interview is also a good time to ask about their work style, if they work alone or with a team, their communication style, and the kind of resources and support at their disposal. Base your decision off these guide questions, as well as your chemistry with the listing agent, in order to choose the person who will help you sell your home.
Gauge Their Marketing Style
How a potential listing agent will sell your home is another key factor to consider. You do not need to ask your candidates to prepare a marketing plan− just ask them about the marketing strategies and avenues they commonly employ. After all, these are the methods that help them sell homes.
At the minimum, a listing agent should have a basic agent marketing package that includes the following:
- Professional signage
- Flyers
- Direct mail campaign
- MLS exposure
- Professional photography
- Broker previews
- At least two open houses
- Home staging consultation
- Updates on neighborhood trends
As most home buyers start their search online, the right Coachella Valley listing agent should also use the latest digital marketing strategies. Ask candidates if they use social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to market properties they are selling. Do they use popular listing services such as Trulia, Zillow, and Redfin?
Looking for These Key Traits and Qualities
Experience, pricing, and marketing strategy, and a number of homes recently sold aside, there are certain traits and qualities that make some listing agents stand out from the others. Keep your eye out for the following characteristics:
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Education and training - A great listing agent, no matter how experienced, never stops in the pursuit of knowledge. Their college background may appear unrelated to real estate, but it enhances their scope of expertise.
Some Coachella Valley listing agents also take further training and certification courses, especially if they want to specialize in a specific arena. For instance, those who want to focus on luxury home marketing may try and get certified as a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist at the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.
Click here for a short background on real estate designations and certifications.
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Excellent communication skills - Listing agents should be able to communicate well in order to market and sell the properties in their roster. They also speak for their clients in the negotiation table, further emphasizing the importance of outstanding communication skills. A listing agent who can’t articulate facts and sentiments well won’t be able to represent you and your property properly.
Communication between the client and the agent should also be noted. To put you at ease, there needs to be sustained communication from the agent on how marketing and sales efforts are going. Lack of communication may indicate poor chemistry between you and agent, prompting the decision to switch to another realtor.
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Honesty - Even when you exclaim that you need to sell your house quickly, the right listing agent should set realistic expectations. Being honest about what needs to be done and how buyers might react is a good thing. Get a feel an agents integrity by taking the time to talk to them.
Natural instinct should tell you how focused they are on helping you achieve your goal versus their own interest in making a commission. Agents that take on further accreditation with the National Association of REALTORS are also required to pledge to a strict code of ethics and conduct.
The Best Coachella Valley Luxury REALTOR - Elaine Stewart
Elaine Stewart is an award-winning Coachella Valley luxury REALTOR; with over 25 years of experience assisting home buyers and sellers. Whether you're looking to buy or sell, Elaine provides the kind of knowledge, skills, dedication, and personalized service you need and deserve. One of the things Elaine loves most about being a real estate agent is being able to share the joy that her clients feel when they find the home of their dreams.
With Elaine Stewart as your personal agent, you'll have a luxury home specialist by your side who will protect your interests, advocate for you, and handle all the details of your home purchase for a smooth and successful transaction. For more information about Greater Palm Springs area real estate, feel free to get in touch with Elaine Stewart today!
