6 Questions to Ask a Realtor Before You Hire Them
When you're getting ready to sell your home it is extremely important to do your research before hiring an agent. Many people believe that most agents are the same and yet the results and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) confirm that is not the case.
Asking the questions below will bring light as to whether or not a certain real estate agent is right for you.
1. How many houses have you sold in my town in the last 10 years?
Why 10 years? Because it proves longevity and takes into account the challenging market of 2009-2011 instead of just talking about the strong market of the last 5 years
2. What is the percentage of the sale vs. list price for your past 5 listings?
Why is this important? Because just selling the house isn't the goal, selling it for TOP DOLLAR is what our clients care about
3. What is the average days on the market from the last listing date over the last 10 years?
4. Describe the difference between active and passive marketing
Many agents' marketing fall into a passive approach such as relying on MLS, open house, or just putting the house on internet sites with thousands of other homes. They also don't identify the potential purchaser or have a system in place for immediate response to the potential purchaser.
5. Do you have an ISA department? (Inside Sales Department)
Why? Because studies show that up to 50% of potential purchasers responding to your homes advertising get ZERO RESPONSE. Today’s potential purchaser for your home demands instant response and the role of the I.S.A. is just that to get back to the purchaser’s questions about your home while they are still looking at your home on line and emotionally “charged up”.
Because we don't know who the real buyer is, we treat all incoming inquiries as if they are the REAL BUYER because one or two are!
6. What are your thoughts about utilizing social media to market my house?
Most agents will tell you they will market your house on social media, but they won't know how to identify your buyer through ads and strategy. There are up to a BILLION people on social media daily! We will review our knowledge and further explain our strategy to get you the best buyer and value for your home.