When you want to sell your home, and have decided to enlist a real estate professional to help you, there are a few things you should know about your agent before signing the binding agreement.Experience is one factor but there is more to selling a home than finding an agent with years on the job.
Being the listing agent means that you could, theoretically, just list the property on the MLS and a few high traffic web sites, and then just wait to get contacted by potential buyers and their agents. And that is all… In that case you could as well list the property yourself for a flat fee and save thousands on commissions.
How many homes has this agent sold? Many agents work part time, are new, or have had their license for a long time, but still do not have many sales. How many of the sales were as the sellers agent? Did the homes listed sell for the asking price, or a price close to the asking price? In other words, is this agent skilled in negotiations or will she quickly settle for a lower price to get the deal done? (And losing you a lot of money)
Some agents have a challenge negotiating with the buyers agent. Some do not have the skill, or the confidence to act on your behalf and get the best price for you. In a transaction involving a substantial amount of money you will want someone skilled and knowledgeable about bargaining and negotiating.
Besides listing your property on the MLS, what are other marketing plans? Advertisements? Open houses? What?
What is the availability of your agent? Will you, and potential buyers, have to wait hours, or over the weekend to get a response? Will she respond in the evening? Some agents take Sundays off, some are off in the evenings to spend time with their family. Make sure this is clear and agreeable to you.
The personality of your agent is important as well. Is he/she upbeat and easy to talk with? Is she enthusiastic and optimistic? Is she interested in putting in some effort to get this deal completed? Or is she pessimistic, cautious and unmotivated
Don’t rush selecting your agent. You will be working with this person for many months, and canceling a contract may be difficult and or, costly. Take the time to know you have chosen a competent, positive agent that you will like working with.
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