When an owner is ready to list their house, they often want to speak to a few REALTORS® to decide which will be the best REALTOR® for them.
Many REALTORS® operate differently, and you want to find someone that fits your goals, as well as someone that you feel that you would work well with.
But, there are some basic standards that you need to expect out of any REALTOR®.
1. You should be able to get ahold of them 7 days a week. That includes evenings and weekends. If they are out of town, they should give you their backup contact that will be handling your file.
2. Are you going to be working directly with the REALTOR® you are hiring? Or will you be working with their assistant? Or their transaction coordinator? Or other members of their team?
3. What type of marketing will they provide? What websites do they market on? How many photos do they take of their listed properties? Do they take videos? Do they have social media presence?
4. What data do they have to support their list price suggestion? Many times REALTORS® might say they can get you a higher price, just to secure the listing. But unless they show you actual market data proving that you can sell close to that, that REALTOR® is wasting your time. The REALTOR® should be showing you what comparable houses have sold for, as well as what the other houses are asking in your area.
5. Ask how long do the REALTOR®’s listings usually take to sell? Do they have a lot of listings, and are they mostly available or under contract?
There are always more things you can ask a REALTOR®, but these basic standards are good ones to start out with.
Happy selling!