Interviewing a Realtor to Sell Your Home
I am pleased to say that this list is a compilation of input from top-producing Listing Agents across the nation.
How did you hear about this Realtor? If it was a referral, ask the referrer WHY they thought this Realtor was worthy of referring.
Is the Realtor full-time? Ask them to define full-time. There is a significant difference between working in real estate full-time versus keeping the cell phone on full-time while working at another job.
How long has the Realtor been in the business full-time? If the Realtor has been in the business a relatively short period of time (3 years or less) you don't want to automatically exclude them from consideration because they might be an up-and-coming go-getter with more personalized attention but you do want to ask more detailed questions about their background prior to real estate and consider the strength of the company for whom they work.
What hours/days does the Realtor work? Does their schedule dovetail with the time you will be available for status reports and offers?
What are the Realtor's professional designations? What do the designations mean and how have they made the Realtor more effective selling homes? How will those designations specifically benefit you on the sale of your home? (Several of them may, in fact, offer no extra value to you as a seller)
What were the total number of real estate transactions the Realtor concluded in the last 6 months? How does this compare to the average for the market?
What was the sales price versus the original list price for each of those transactions? This demonstrates how accurate the Realtor is in their Market Analysis when determining a Sales Price. Ask them to provide proof because this is easy to manipulate in many markets.
Request testimonials from clients, industry affiliates and peers - with dates so you know they are current. How many testimonials are there compared to the total number of transactions? Request the phone numbers of 3 clients who sold their homes within the last 6 months to contact as references - and actually call them.
What are the Realtor's top 5 to 8 priorities for the sale of your home?
What are your top 5 to 8 priorities? Do they match?
Does the Realtor have a written, step-by-step, 30 to 120 day Marketing Plan?
Does the Realtor have a verifiable internet marketing presence?
Most Realtors have a web site and most Real Estate companies advertise their listings on the internet. A Realtor's individual expertise in using the internet as a personal marketing tool goes beyond these basic steps.
If the Realtor claims a personal internet marketing strategy, ask for a recently listed (and still active) property. Enter the address in Google Search (the State isn't necessary). Is the property one of the first three (3) listings showing on the first page of Google? If not, ask for one more property address. Does that show? If not, then regardless of what the Realtor tells you, they do not have an effective, personal internet marketing strategy beyond what is offered by other Realtors.
Do they provide a written list of services that are included in their commission?
Will you be working with the Realtor, their Assistant or another member of their team? If you will be working with an Assistant and/or other members of the team, you should interview those individuals as well.
Ask:
"Why should I choose you over another Realtor?"
"What are the main challenges you see in marketing and selling my home? What are your solutions to those challenges?"
"What accountability will you provide to demonstrate the work you are doing to market and sell my home? How often will you provide that accountability?"
"What are the most important points in the Purchase Contract that I should review prior to receiving an Offer?"
"How often will you communicate with me/us generally"
Analyze:
The Realtor's written and verbal communication skills. They will be using both to represent YOU on the sale of your home.
Does the Realtor encourage your questions?
Does the Realtor answer your questions, concerns and objections with supporting data versus opinion?
Did you feel educated by the Listing presentation?