Selling Your Home? Interviewing Agents? 10 Tips To Find The Right One

If you are ready to move and are wondering how to find a great agent, here are 10 things an agent should be up to speed on!

1. Phone interview -  Place a call to each of the agents you are thinking about and keep track of how long it takes them to call you back. No really good agent is going to be waiting for your call. Hopefully they already have clients.  It's a little like picking a restaurant. You don't want an agent who doesn't have any other clients, it's a bad sign!  So be reasonable with your expectations, but it should be the same day!  You should also expect that the agent will have a lot of questions on the phone also, they should want to collect information to make the research meaningful. You don't want to interview an agent who hasn't done appropriate research prior to their appointment.
2. Make sure that the agent has a team of agents who are experienced. Remember, you will be talking to the team a lot of the time and you want them to be trained to do their job well. A good agent will have access to at least three good inspectors, and mortgage lenders.
3. When the agent comes out to your house, they should be ready to give you a list of things to do that would make the house sell quicker and easier and you should have a list of things you can do to add value.  The agent should be specific about all these issues. This is their job.
4. In this market you should also be interested in what the house could rent for if you don't get the sale you want. But also remember that what you don't get for your house will probably be more than made up for when you buy.
5. Your agent and you should be on the same page about prequalification letters, net sheets, and a marketing plan.  Beware of any agent who is still doing print advertising.  Do you actually scan the newspapers for print ads about houses to buy or are you on the internet doing your research?  Most people are searching on line nowadays.
6. Finding buyers is more difficult now than it used to be. What does your agent actually do to find buyers? This is a key question and you should be satisfied that they have a detailed list of everything they do to get showings on your house.
7. Direct mail is a good idea. Your neighbors may know of someone who wants to live in your neighborhood, other agents are the best. They almost certainly know of buyers! This is the place that most agents don't seem to actively prospect. Calling all the agents who have sold in the neighborhood over the last year would be a good place to start!
8. Internet presence. This is key and your prospective agent should have a very good idea how this works, which websites they are on, are their listings featured up front? Do they stand out from the crowd? Check this out, it is important.
9. How good is your agent at negotiating?  If they are ready to cut their commission up front, no problem, do you really want to have them negotiating the price your your house?  This is another sign!!
10. Your agent should have a list of issues to be processed to get your house closed. You need this to know that you will be ready when the time comes!

Please call us with any questions.  513.766.3888

Back to Home Sellers Information