What to ask potential listing agents????

Question

Patrick Britton · Answer

@Thomas Weidner i think @Harrison Smith has the "best" answer but there are no "wrong" answers here.  I would be cautious about Zillow based on the fact that the busiest and most productive agents aren't necessarily the best for you.

Also, be wary of brokers who sell special marketing programs.  Price sells homes, nothing else.  So make sure you get someone who tells you the price you need to hear, not the price you want to hear.  The out of the box marketing gimmicks are fancy to look at, but don't do anything.  Those are more for the brokers to advertise themselves than for you.  But definitely make sure that they are using professional photos (at their expense) and staging when appropriate.  So ask to see examples of previous listings.

Perhaps most important, ask them about their process once an offer has been accepted.  80% of agents (in this area at least) STOP working as soon as the offer is accepted.  This laziness causes tons of problems, delays, and stress so best to work with a broker who works harder AFTER you receive an offer than before.

But in the end, it'll be about comfort and rapport.

Harrison Smith · Answer

@Thomas Weidner The previous feedback you have gotten is great and I agree with all of it. It is all about your comfort level that this agent will be able to work with you and get you the outcome you desire. You need to understand communication style, personality, and ability to market/sell your property. As an example, there are many fantastic agents that can get your home sold, but are poor communicators and will drive you crazy until closing because they won't give you the feedback you want. Make sure you are a fit with the Realtor, otherwise the process may get you the outcome you want but you won't like the ride and that can be stressful and unsatisfying.

If you can get comfortable that you are good fit, then you should be in a good place to get your home sold and not feel stressed during the process. Good luck!

If you can get comfortable that you are good fit, then you should be in a good place to get your home sold and not feel stressed during the process. Good luck!

Jonathan Greene · Answer

@Thomas Weidner - bring in a few agents and don't worry as much about their presentation, but focus on how much they pay attention to you and connect with you. Do they ask you questions about what you want out of the deal? Do they ask you questions to build a relationship? Anyone can show you statistics (and they are important - see second set of questions) and use a canned listing presentation, but the agent that will sell your home and get you the best price and work the hardest for you is one who pays attention to you and focuses on you when they are in the house and also points out negatives of the home, not just positives. You DO NOT want a listing agent who will list it at any price, you want one who knows the market enough to tell you that you are too high or too low and why.

Important questions to ask:

1. What is your sale price to list price ratio? You want this to be close to 100% or more.

2. How many listings do you have right now?

3. How many listings did you have in the last year?

4. What are your top three marketing avenues? Everyone gets it on the MLS and Zillow, what are you going to do that is outside the box?

Start there. I hope this helps.

Joe Funari · Answer

@Thomas Weidner Schedule two or three realtors to come in and give a "Listing Presentation" on your home. When the show up the good ones will not only pull comparable sold properties in your neighborhood (or similar size nearby) but have other reports and data to support their arguments. Look for one's that will bring in professional photographers at their expense. And last by very important whomever you go with be sure you heed their "staging" advise before photos/listing your home. This makes a big difference in my opinion. Good luck in your search.

Joel Owens · Answer

Track record.

Franklin Romine · Answer

A large population of agents will blow a bunch of smoke.  I would ask for a referral or call on homes that are for sale and see how the agent responds when you pretend to be a buyer.

The 1st and only agent I have used to sell a house, I was driving around, called on a house for sale, and a Black female agent answer and shes was on fire, she had good vibs.  She sold a home for me and worked out fine.

Franklin

Brett Synicky · Answer

Additionally, how are you market my home?

Brett Synicky · Answer

how many buyers do you have currently looking for a home in the area?

Check their Zillow profile for reviews.

Ask for stats what percentage of asking price do they normally get, how many days does it generally take them to sell homes.

Do you work as a team or are you a solo agent?

What to ask potential listing agents????

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