“After all that excitement of listing the house, the agent put the sign in the ground and I basically never heard from them again.”
This is something I hear all the time from frustrated sellers. Real estate agents jump through hoops to get your listing but then all but disappear once it is on the market.
So how do you make sure you choose the right person to list your home; someone who is actually trying to sell your home, not just have it listed?
First, be wary if the agent agrees with everything you want: You want to list your house for that much? Oh sure! You would like to reduce the commission? Oh sure! You want your house shown by appointment only? Oh sure!
Though it may feel great that this agent sees it just the way you do, an agent that is serious about selling your home is going to have an educated opinion on these issues – as well as reasons to back it up.
When it comes to setting the price, how well does the agent know the inventory? Has she/he gone and looked at the competition? Does she/he have concrete reasons and hard data to support the price she/he is suggesting? If you truly are hiring an expert in the field, he or she should know where to price your house, and you should trust them.
Commission is always a sticky subject. Many people think that agents get paid a lot of money to do a lot of nothing. Or do they? Perhaps that’s true for ones who stick the sign in the ground and disappear, but for the one who is going to actually sell your home, a lot of money and time will be spent on marketing, advertising and hard work to find a buyer.
If an agent is eager and willing to cut their commission to get your listing, which part of those things above will be omitted? And if an agent can’t negotiate their own commission, how well will they do when it comes to negotiating the best price for your house? The adage “you get what you pay for” comes to mind here.
Next, how will this agent market your home? Do they have a marketing plan to present to you that clearly defines how they will get potential buyers to see your home? We all know that most buyers shop for houses these days on the Internet, so how will your home be presented on the Internet? Will there be a lot of pictures, a virtual tour, an accurate description of your home? Will it go on several websites? Also, will the agent have open houses? Will they advertise your home?
Another thing to ask the agent is how they manage the number of listings they have. One may think that an agent with a lot of listings is a good one to choose, but that isn’t always the case. Many agents choose to play the “numbers game” with the thought that a certain percentage of their listings will sell, so the more they have, the more likely they are to have sales. Ask the agent what percentage of their listings actually result in a sale. Ask how long their listings are typically on the market? Ask them how, with so many listings, they give each listing its own attention – do they have a support staff?
You want to be sure that your listing is treated like it’s the only listing – regardless of what else the agent is doing. Will they be able to do that?
Finally, the key to a good real estate agent (and the one many agents miss): communication! You may assume that if you list your home with someone that they will communicate with you about what is going on. Not always the case.
It is the complaint I hear the most – agents that don’t communicate with their sellers. Though most agents will promise this upfront, few will follow through. If you are concerned about this, ask the agent if they have a reference you can call. A good agent is likely to have plenty of past clients willing to vouch for them and their excellent service.
Unfortunately for most, one doesn’t recognize the value of a good real estate agent until they have had a bad experience. Talk to anyone who has had their house on the market for more than a year or who had a problem in a transaction and I’m sure they will tell you that it is worth it to be sure that you hire the right person from day one. Be sure to find someone who is not only eager to list your home, but who will be there every step of the way and is prepared to actually sell your home.
Contact Lara Wells Osborn at Coldwell Banker C&C Properties – Westside, 1801 Buenaventura Blvd., Redding, CA 96001. Cell: (530) 276-3026. Fax: (530) 419-1167. E-mail: laraosborn@ccproperties.com or www.larawellsosborn.com.
