Interview Questions to Ask Your Realtor Before Listing Your Home – Part 2
Our last blog discussed part one of interview questions you want to ask a Realtor before listing your home for sale. In case you missed it, you can find part one at https://www.wesellleduc.com/blog. Because there are so many questions you can ask to ensure the listing agent is the right one for you, today we’re covering part two. Here are four more questions you want to ask a listing agent before committing him or her to help sell your home.
How do you plan to market my home? Some agents have a very basic marketing strategy whereas others are willing to do whatever it takes to get your home sold. It’s important for you to know how a Realtor will market your home to other agents, potential buyers, within the community and beyond. Do they advertise on social media? Do they have a professional photographer, videographer and social media specialist as part of their team? What features of your home will be most highlighted to draw a buyer in? What demographic of buyers are interested in a home like yours and how will the Realtor target that demographic specifically?
What are the costs? Before being qualified for a future home, you need to know what the net proceeds from your current sale will be. Net proceeds result in your selling price less mortgage balance, closing costs and any potential payout penalties. Closing costs can include real estate fees, legal fees, title insurance, or any outstanding permit or real property report requirements. Realtor fees vary between a flat fee and a percentage split. Some companies pride themselves in being a low fee brokerage. These brokerages suggest that a person can sell their home for a few thousand dollars or less, which could be possible if the listing agent was also the buyer’s agent and he or she was willing to work with the buyer for free. 99% of the time that is not the case. More often than not the buyer’s Realtor wants to be paid a fair fee for bringing the buyer. This can greatly impact the low cost fees that you were originally promised. Not to mention other companies who offer low rate commissions often have a very limited marketing plan other than putting your home on MLS. You unfortunately could miss out on significant marketing and negotiation strategies which in the end can cost you more money than it saves you.
Do you sell homes in my area? Some Realtors may suggest that you don’t need to sell homes in a specific area in order to know that area. Afterall, vast research and answers can be found online. While this is true, there are many advantages to working with a Realtor who regularly sells homes in your area. They can provide recommendations for personal and professional services that go beyond the sale of your home. Also, there are times when we see online is not an accurate representation of the real thing. A local Realtor gets to foundation was faulty or the home was smoked in. These two factors aren’t commonly displayed online but can impact a sale price by thousands.
Can you give me references and sales stats? Great Realtors often have clients who’ve provided testimonials on their website and/or Social Media pages. Ask the Realtor where you can find out what past clients have said about their services. Also, Realtors who track their stats do so because these numbers give feedback about how their sales perform compared to the market average. Ask them what their listing to sale price ratio is, their average days on market, and what percentage of their listings expire. This is especially important for any Realtor who’s offered you a listing price that is a lot higher than what others have suggested.
If you’re considering selling, you want to ensure you have the right Realtor working for you. Whether you’re a first time buyer, thinking about selling, or just want to talk about what options might be available for you, we’d be happy to see how we can help you achieve your real estate goals!
Jason Rustand with RE/MAX Real Estate serves with the highest level of integrity and excellence every time. For more info on this topic or others related to real estate contact LIKE our Jason Rustand Team Facebook page, call Jason direct at 780.919-0004, email jrteam@shaw.ca or visit WeSellLeduc.com