Picking a real estate listing agent

[Tuli Green]

For the Philadelphia area, I recently closed on my 1st fix and flip and I'm looking for a real agent that I would use to sell the property, and during the rehab I want to ask them questions of what sells better. My question is how do I go about picking an agent. What questions should I ask to know if they are good. What should be the deciding factor in which agent I choose?

[David M.]

@Tuli Green

Honestly, it depends in my opinion.  It also depends on your "B.S meter."  Real estate agents are still in the sales profession.  its not as simple, necessarily, as just asking questions.  You need to ask questions and realize when they are or might be deflecting, and ask follow up questions to drill down to the truth.

I don't believe that you need an "investor's agent" or an agent that invests themselves.  My agent doesn't invest and doesn't really understand it in detail.  But, she is just a really good agent, at least for me (although her awards and accolades does speak to her overal performance).

Talk to a bunch and find one that you are, or at least feel, comfortable with.  Home sales is stressful enough, so don't make it more stressful by picking an agent that you don't get along with.  Is this easy?  Of course not.  It took me two years of active searching to find my agent.

Sorry I don't have a definitive answer.  You can poke around BP, elsewhere online, or in a bit other BP members will respond, but any list of questions is at most a way to "break the ice."  Good luck.