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questions to ask your agent
Before putting your home on the market, educate yourself by interviewing at least three real estate agents who sell homes in your area, preferably agents recommended by friends or business acquaintances. Here are the key questions to ask each agent your interview:
How much can you get for my home?
Before answering that question, each agent should prepare a written comparative market analysis (“CMA”) after inspecting your home. Some agents won’t let you keep their CMAs. Don’t do business with these agents. You need to study each CMA to determine if the agent is using truly comparable recent sales prices of similar nearby homes.
What are the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your five most recent home sellers?
After each agent leaves, phone these sellers to ask “Where you in any way unhappy with your agent and would you list another home for sale with the same agent?” Also ask each agent about their expired listings that didn’t sell, and phone those sellers to learn why the agent didn’t get their home sold.
What is your marketing plan for my home?
The best agents you interview will prepare specific marketing plans. At least 50% of today’s buyers use the Internet for preliminary home shopping, so pay special attention to each agent’s Internet marketing activity. Check his or her website to see how homes are listed.
How long a listing do you need to sell my home?
The best agents ask for 90-day listings. If they do a good job but the home is unsold after 90 days, expect to be asked to renew. Be wary of any agent who insists on a 180-day listing. With a 180-day listing that doesn’t have an unconditional cancellation clause after 90 days, you might get stuck with a bad agent for a long time.
How long have you been selling houses in this area?
There are advantages to using new agents and experienced agents. Some people feel new agents are usually more motivated and enthusiastic and are willing to dedicate the time and energy to getting your house sold. These newer agents are typically willing to try new things such as the Internet to market your house. Other people prefer working with an experienced successful agent. Keep in mind, however, that new agents can also be some of the most successful.
How many listings do you now have?
If the agent has more than 15 or 20 listings, they usually cannot do a good job servicing all those listings. Watch out for “numbers agents” who take many listings and have lots of personal assistants, knowing only a percentage of their listings will sell.
Browse the Article Library
- Donna has put together a collection of articles designed with her clients in mind. Here you will find information on everything you might need before, during and after the home buying or selling process.
- Some of the more popular titles include information on doing a 1031 exchange to save on taxes, ways to fix up your home that will protect your investment, and the Top 10 Mistakes that Sellers Make. Have fun browsing!
- Should you have an idea for an article, or would like to recommend an article for inclusion that you have seen elsewhere, please contact Donna.
About Donna Baker
- Director of Heritage Homes, Dickson Podley Realtors
- Serving Monrovia, Duarte, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Pasadena, and the entire San Gabriel Valley
- Representing Sellers and Buyers of all types of real estate with a specialty in vintage and character homes, as well as residential income properties.
- Watch a video about Donna