The key to selling your home is finding the right real estate agent to represent you as a seller. Letting your agent use their experience, education, and resources to help you with such a big endeavor will allow you to avoid stress and delays that would otherwise appear if you were doing it by yourself. Check out these tips to help you choose the right real estate agent for your needs.
Ask Friends & Family
You can compare online reviews of different real estate agents to gather some idea of their strengths and weaknesses. But, the best input can be received by those around you. Reach out to your friends, family, and neighbors to hear their experiences they had with their real estate agents. Having input from people you trust can make your decision much easier than only relying on the words of strangers.
Make a Wise Choice
While talking to your friends and family about potential agents, you may learn that one of them works in the real estate market. It may seem like a great idea at first to just go with a friend or relative, but it can quickly backfire if you don’t critically think about their skills as an agent. Selling a home comes with its own set of stress-inducing situations and your personal relationship could take a hit if feelings get in the way of logistics. It is better to avoid any awkward, unpleasant, situations that could come from having personal ties to your agent and selecting an agent with a strictly professional relationship instead.
Choose an Expert
Your agent is responsible for more than just posting a listing of your home online. Look for an agent that specializes in your type of home. They will be responsible for pitching all of the great qualities your home has to offer to potential buyers, so you want to make sure they know their stuff and can answer any question that pops up. Make sure they know a lot about your community, school zones, and local amenities as those are typically topics on the forefront of a buyer’s mind.
Hold an Interview
When putting someone in charge of one of your most valuable assets, you want to be sure that they are a good fit. Meet with potential real estate agents and interview each of them before you make your final selection. Write down a list of questions you want to ask so that your questions don’t vary from agent to agent and you get consistent information from each of them. Ask about recent home sales, community knowledge, and average market time for their homes. Look for someone who can aggressively market and advertise your home without steamrolling your needs.
The Importance of Communication
Your real estate agent should be readily available to answer any questions or concerns that you have. Make sure your agent has multiple lines of communication you can use to get in contact with them. Pay attention to the speed of which they respond to your concerns. If you are having trouble getting an agent to return your call, imagine how potential buyers must feel.
All That Glitters Isn’t Gold
There are lots of real estate agents out there who will promise you the sun and the stars to help sell your home. Look beyond their glittery words and inspect the numbers behind their success. How many homes have they sold recently and were the prices lowered beneath market value just to move? Look for an agent who is straight-forward and to the point. You don’t need to rely on promises of grandeur when you have an agent who consistently gets results with their efforts and expertise.
Know the Plan
Your agent will likely have a standard plan in place to market and sell your home. Don’t be afraid to ask them details about the plan and tweak anything that doesn’t make you happy. Make sure your agent is using the latest technology to reach the maximum number of buyers in an appealing way. You want the beauty of your home to shine above the rest so make sure your agent is highlighting the details you loved about your home for potential buyers.
Have an Exit
Before you sign a contract with your agent, make sure you know how to get out of the contract should the need arise. Sometimes an agent’s flaws don’t appear until much later down the road, and you don’t want to be stuck unsure how to end your professional relationship when tensions are high.
Your real estate agent is the best source of information about the local community and real estate topics. Give Erica Stietenroth a call today at 979-574-4909 to learn more about local areas, discuss selling a house, or tour available homes for sale.
