Hiring A Listing Agent

Studies have shown that home sellers who use a REALTOR® vs. selling their home on their own sell their homes 2 months faster, an average of $46,000 more and over 80% of For Sale By Owner’s eventually end up relisting with a real estate agent to finally get their home sold.

REALTORS® are up-to-date on critical processes and can help keep you out of trouble, they have the tools to maximize the exposure of your home and the tools to objectively find the right price for your home. Equally as important, REALTORS® add objectivity to an inherently emotional transaction: the sale of your home.

Here are a few things that you should look for in your listing agent:

  • Are they a full-time agent? Sadly, there are many part-time agents out there that only sell a few homes a year. Are you interested in trusting perhaps the largest transaction of your life to someone that is not devoting all their energy and experience to your deal?

  • Is your agent tech savvy? Can your agent respond to your texts and emails? (Yes, there are agents that still can’t send a text, eek!) Do they use electronic signing to move your transaction along quickly?

  • Can they maximize your exposure? Do your agents post to all the online portals? Do they know how to get the best placement of your listing on those portals (yes, there are tricks to getting to the top) Are they using social media to publicize your home?

  • Do their listings look professional? Have you looked at other homes they have listed? Do the descriptions sell and do the photos show the home in the best light?

  • Do they have experience? Real Estate can be a crazy business and the agent that has seen it before is the one best prepared to keep things running smooth.

  • Are they a REALTOR®? Only someone that bears the REALTOR® brand is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and is bound by NAR’s Code of Ethics, which holds it’s members to a higher standard of trust and responsibility.

You will want a full-time agent who is prompt to respond, available when you need them and makes you feel comfortable to be around. Since 90% of the buying public starts their home search online it is imperative that your agent is tech-savvy and capable of giving your home the greatest exposure both on and offline. You’ll also want to find an agent that understands your market and can show you what is happening in your neighborhood.

Want to know what tools I use to sell your home? Check out my page on Home Marketing and Selling with Me.

Deciding to List Your Home
Pricing Your Home