There are lots of great articles out there about the importance of hiring a real estate agent (like this one), so I won’t take this space to do that. Instead, I want to take the time to give some tips about what to do after you’ve decided to sell your home with a Realtor.
Do Your Research First
Ask Around
Begin your research by asking your friends and family if they have any experience with Realtors in your area. Chances are if they had a good experience, you will too.
Find a Top Producing Real Estate Agent
Real Estate is a competitive market place and becoming more so as the internet impacts the industry. Top Producers are those agents who do more transactions than other agents in their markets. They are top producers for a reason. Their marketing budgets can afford to be larger because they perform more. Finally, Top Producers are full time agents. Real Estate is their only job and they treat it like a full time job. Full time job means full time attention. Just make sure your top producer gives you the attention you deserve.
Do a Google Search
Does your Realtor maintain their own website? Is that website unique or is it just a template website? (Template websites perform poorer in terms of SEO). Do they use social media to build a community around their business or do they just market their other listings? Most importantly, what reviews can you find? Do they have reviews on Facebook or Zillow? The online community can be a great place to find out about an agent you’re not familiar with and it can help you decide which real estate agents to bring in for an interview.
Interview at Least Two Agents
Compare Their Research
When an agent shows up for a Listing Appointment, they should be bringing a fair amount of research on your property, market conditions, and most importantly, analysis of comparable homes which will inform what that agent thinks your home should be listed at. This research should be thorough, well presented, and is a reflection of how they will approach the whole process.
Are you Seeing Anything Familiar?
The Real Estate industry has a lot of companies that provide template services. While these can be great for an agent’s time management, it’s not as great if you are looking to stand out in the market. Good work takes work and there are no shortcuts.
Compare Commissions
Commissions in a real estate transaction are not uniform and according to Nevada Law, there can not be a set commission. Instead, it is a negotiable rate between two parties. Any good agent should be able to justify their commission and why they change what they do. Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for, and it’s up to you what you want to offer to the agents in the transaction. Have the conversation and listen to what the real estate agent tells you about their commission. If they can’t explain their services, they don’t deserve your listing.
“How Do You Market a Home?”
What Materials Do They Use?
Do they use print and digital materials? Where do they put pictures, flyers, signage or ads about your home? Are they getting calls for your home directly off their marketing or are these just marketing the agent to the community? Both direct marketing and presence marketing are important to conducting a business. Make sure your agent can explain how your home is DIRECTLY in front of potential buyers.
What Kind of Pictures Do They Take?
Most home shopping these days is done on digital platforms. Photos and video go a long way with a digital audience and quality pictures and video are a must. Look at the quality of pictures from their other listings. Are they poor quality? Did anyone photobomb the pictures (yep, I’ve seen it)? These pictures are so so so important these days for getting the right attention in the marketplace and getting as many buyers as possible to come see your home in person.
What is Your SEO Strategy?
SEO is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days and few people really understand what it takes to have a good SEO strategy. If your agent can’t explain it to you, chances are they don’t understand how to leverage it to your advantage as a seller. Having your home appear online might not be important to you, but if it is, your agent should have a good grasp of SEO, or should be paying someone who does.
Go with Your Gut.
Trust yourself. If you’ve asked the right questions, you will know whether or not an agent is right for you. Your agent should be your advocate. They should listen and be attentive to what you want and need from a transaction. A good real estate agent should be empathetic to your needs. They should fulfill all their promises to you. Most importantly, they should never put themselves first. It’s about you, not about them.
