The Best Questions to Ask Your Realtor

This is probably the most difficult time to sell a home in the history of the United States of America. We are competing with banks, we are competing with people who have walked away from their homes, and buyers have become very particular because they have so much to pick from. So it's certainly not an easy time to sell a home on your own. You really need professional guidance more than ever before.

So let's talk about what a seller should expect a realtor to do for them in the current housing market.

The primary thing, is you should expect the realtor to be your tour guide through the process; to help you from A to Z. There's a lot more to selling real estate these days than a sign in the yard. You've got to make sure the home is priced correctly because the market is unforgiving right now. You've also got to make sure it's staged properly.

When the people walk in the front door, they have to fall in love with your home. If you've ever walked into a model home, the reason the model home looks like that is because it's designed to send a message. The message your home needs to send is, "If I move into this house, I'll live like this."

Let's talk about where the process begins as far as the search for a realtor.

I suggest that you start by talking to people who you trust. Talk to people you have confidence in, and that have been around long enough to have sold a few homes and understand what to look for. If you don't know someone in the area, then call a real estate title company. They get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly and they are in the process of closing transactions.

There are several key questions that someone has to keep in mind when they're looking for potential realtors.

The first important question is: How many years have they been selling real estate? This is a crucial question because again, so many times people think, "Well, our organ player's brother just got their license, or my son's soccer teacher is selling homes on the weekends," or something like that and they are trying to help people out. We'd never choose a doctor with that kind of criteria. We'd search out somebody who has our best interest at heart since it's an absolutely huge decision because it's our biggest asset.

Important question number two: How many homes have you closed in the last 12 months? You want someone who is closing at least a couple homes a month so that they're staying up with the market.

Important question number three: Do you have references I can call?

Important question number four: Do you have a marketing plan and systems in place for selling my home?

All of these things are absolutely crucial. It's a lot more than sticking a sign in the front yard right now. You've got to have a plan.

Okay, the last question you need to make sure you ask is... Do you have a strong internet presence? Everybody is going to the internet first, before they do anything else. It's important to have your home exposed in all of the primary websites where people are searching for real estate. It's absolutely crucial.