So you are looking to sell your current home? Selecting the right real estate agent to help guide you through the process is important!
A good real estate agent realizes that they may not always get the price you expect to get. They know the market dictates your price. Find a knowledgeable real estate agent who knows your market and is realistic about setting your price. Don't go with a real estate agent who promises you a higher-than-market-value price just to get you to list with them. That is the easiest way to assure that your home doesn’t sell.
In addition, don’t list with a real estate agent who promises that they can get you an unreasonably high price for your home. Some real estate agents use a high listing price as a ploy to get you to list your property with them. You will soon discover that the market dictates the price, not the real estate agent. After a few weeks of getting very little traffic at the high price this real estate agent will come back to you and suggest you lower the price in order to generate traffic. Unfortunately, by this time you have lost what is can be viewed as the most critical time period in selling a home, the first few weeks immediately after it has been listed on the market.
Don't list with a part-time real estate agent. Real estate agents who are full-time professionals have a better feel for the market, have more connections within the industry, and will generally work harder for you. Why you ask? Because their livelihood depends entirely on their ability to successfully and repeatedly close real estate transactions. Look for a real estate agent who is actively soliciting business. Real estate agents who don't advertise or who are not actively looking for business are probably talking to fewer people and doing fewer deals. Real estate agents who are out in the market looking for new business have their fingers on the pulse of the market. They know what buyers are looking for, and how much they are willing to pay considering the current market.
Check on experience and productivity. As with most professions, experience pays in real estate. Experienced real estate agents know the market and the marketing process. Real estate agents who are part of an active, aggressive local office will have access to "inside" information that could be helpful in your quest to buy or sell a property. Virtually all real estate agents now have access to MLS listings, but new listings often take a number of days to get on the MLS system. A "connected" real estate agent will know about new listings immediately after they come available.
Be sure your real estate agent is part of a national network. This is less important than it used to be because there are fewer and fewer truly independent real estate agents out there. Being part of a national chain is especially important if you're selling in one city and moving to another. Your selling real estate agent can refer you to a professional, compatible real estate agent in your destination city and keep in close contact with that agent so both your selling and buying efforts are closely coordinated.
Find a real estate agent who seems primarily interested in sharing expertise and market knowledge in an honest and straightforward manner. Be suspicious of real estate agents who just tell you what you want to hear. Remember that neither you nor your real estate agent can determine the price of your property. It will be determined by the market.
It doesn't matter whether you are buying or selling. And it doesn't matter whether you respond to a printed advertisement, see the name of a real estate agent on a sign, or are referred by a friend or relative, it is important to select the right real estate agent for you. In fact it might be worth interviewing at least a couple before you make a final decision. At the very least you should arm yourself with some clear criteria like the ones above before making your final decision.
