That’s right! A Realtor is telling you NOT to list your home with a Realtor. Why? You want to get top dollar for the sale of your most valuable asset by enlisting the help of a professional. Is it really worth the cost of commission if they just put it on the MLS and let it sit, hoping to get some calls, letting other agents do all the work? Any agent can list a home on the Multi-Listing Service (MLS). That’s the easy part. The person you choose to put their sign in front of your home should be MARKETING it, not just listing it.
So, how do you know what your prospective agent is going to do for you?
Ask questions (a lot of them). The Realtor you are interviewing should be willing to answer any questions regarding the listing process/marketing of your home, and about their career in real estate. Still not sure what questions to ask?
How long have you been selling real estate? How do you plan to market this house? Where are you going to market it? Do you have your own website? How frequently do you refresh your ads based on the results they are getting? How do you let other agents know my house is on the market? How soon are you going to do an open house? Is there anything you would recommend I should do to make my house sell faster? What is the average amount of time from the date you list a house to it being under contract? What quality of camera do you use when taking photos of a house? How will you be in contact with me?
Ask for examples. Ask the prospective agent to see current ads of their other listings running on Facebook, on their website, in the newspaper or local house marketing magazines, Google Ads, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest… where-ever they say they are going to market your home.
Ask for references. It’s ok to ask for references. Talk to other sellers (former and current) and see what they have to say. If you call for a consultation with a Realtor, that does not bind you to work with them. Find out if they call back in a reasonable time frame, and if they were able to answer all the questions the other sellers had. If they didn’t know the answer immediately, was the agent able to find it and get back to them quickly? How frequently did they reach out to the sellers?
There are hundreds of Realtors in any given area. They are not all the same! Selling your home can become an involved process, and you should interview several Realtors until you find one that you feel you can work with comfortably, that will represent you the way you want. By following the three suggestions above, you will have a much higher probability of selecting a top producing Realtor, willing to MARKET your home, not just LIST it!
Are you thinking of selling your home? If so, I would love the opportunity to interview for the job! I would be happy to explain how I will MARKET your home, sell it faster, and for the highest price! Give me a call or text today! -Audra Hollingshead, Pro 100 (417) 850-7220 or Contact Me
Audra Hollingshead is a Realtor in Southwest Missouri for Pro 100. She achieved 'Rookie of the Year' in her first year of Real Estate sales. Audra is a former Math teacher and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. She also has an extensive background in online marketing and previously ran marketing campaigns for fundraising companies. Audra also created marketing plans for retail and online businesses.