Selling a home can be a stressful experience -
especially if you're not working with an experienced, knowledgeable
Realtor who can guide you through the process. One concern sellers
commonly have is how to make their home appealing to buyers without
putting a lot of money into it. Sellers often worry, "How do I price my
home so that it sells quickly, but also nets me top dollar?" And,
because the seller pays the Realtor fees for both the buyer and the
seller, it's important to know whether you're going to get your money's
worth when you make your selection. Following are a few key questions
to ask that will help take the stress out of selecting your listing
agent and selling your home:
Experience
Experience doesn't just mean number of years in the business. You
should also ask how many homes per year a Realtor sells and what price
range. Each time a Realtor sells a home, he builds experience
negotiating. Successful Realtors fine tune their negotiation skills at
least 20 times each year, while an average Realtor negotiates only two
or three times. I recommend that you interview at least one Realtor who
sells at least 20 homes per year so that you can see for yourself what
the difference is.
Preparing Your Home
Do you know how to display your home so that it's appealing to a broad
range of buyers? Some Realtors have a solid grasp of staging experience
to help you merchandise your home so that it sells more quickly and for
a higher price. Professional stagers know how to make improvements to
your home without spending a lot of money.
Marketing & Exposure
Placing your home in the MLS gets old after two weeks. What happens
after that? Experienced Realtors know how to develop customized
marketing plans for each seller they represent. Also, it's important to
look at a Realtor's Web site (such as this one). Will your home be
represented in a high quality manner? And, how many people will see
that Web site? One way to find out is to search for the site using one
of the major search engines to see if the site appears on the first
page of results. You might also ask how your home will be featured on a
Realtor's site. Can he offer both virtual and physical tours of your
home? Lastly, remember to ask for samples of a Realtor's marketing
materials so you can see what their fliers look like compared to others.
Time To Market
The best marketing plans can be worthless if they aren't implemented in
a timely fashion. How quickly can a Realtor get a for-sale sign up in
your yard, fliers printed and a virtual tour of your home posted on his
Web site?
Operational Support
It's important to meet with a prospective Realtor in his office and ask
questions about how he operates. For example, technology makes it
possible for your Realtor to respond to you and prospective buyers in a
timely fashion, which can mean the difference between selling your home
quickly or not. Does your agent have the latest technological tools at
his disposal? Having a personal staff to take care of administrative
work frees your Realtor to spend his time marketing your home to
prospective buyers. Does your Realtor have the support staff he needs
to be highly productive on your behalf?
