Who should you list your home with? The one who has all the tools and know-how to get your home sold!

Hiring a good agent to help you list, market and sell your home is the most important thing you as a seller can do to make the transaction as smooth as possible.  What is a "good" agent? 

A good agent is one who is effective at the following:

• Helping you prepare your home for the marketplace
• Helping you understand price positioning and why overpricing your home is the worst thing you can do.
• Helping you understand what repairs or upgrades will achieve maximum return on your investment.
• Understanding your market and how your home compares to other homes within that market.
• Marketing your home properly, including on the MLS, Internet, point of sale (signage), etc..
• Communicating with you and your family throughout the sale process
• Working effectively with other agents and brokers who may have buyers for your home.
• Effective at negotiating, and steering you clear troublesome agents, buyers and lenders
• Being honest with you, and having the courage to tell you what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear.

What would constitute a "not so good" agent?

• The one who suggests the highest sale price (especially if that is the only thing they have to offer)
• One who does not use or understand technology (e-mail, Internet Marketing, enhanced MLS listings, virtual tours, call capture technology, color printed literature, etc..)
• The one with the lowest commission rates
• The one who does real estate "part time", or "on the side".
• The one who does not communicate well with you and your family
• The one who does not have the technology, systems and support to manage the effective marketing, negotiating, and succesful closing of your home.

Every agent you will meet with will bring a Competitive Market Analysis, and give you a suggested price for your home.  These are the LEAST important parts of the Interview!  Realtors used to command commissions because they controlled information, like sale prices of homes.  The Internet has made it impossible for Realtors to control this information anymore.  If you are an Internet savvy seller, you have access to nearly all the sale data that we Realtors do.  View sold data on our website here.

While going over pricing IS very important, it should not be the entire focus of the interview.  A skilled agent should be able to present price and market data to you in about 10 minutes.  The remainder of the interview is best spent talking about the agent’s marketing services, home preparation tips, what you and your family should expect during the sale process, and signing contracts.

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