Real Estate Listing Agent: Top Questions to ask your prospective Agent

Article Written By: BodoKauffmann

Say you're a house owner who has decided, like about 85% of all residence sellers, to hire a real estate listing agent to help you sell your home. How do you choose from the thousands of agents in your area? Here are a few of the top questions to ask your potential Listing Agent:

How long have you been in business?

With the lure of 'quick and easy money' (believe me, its NOT), every one with some spare change and a little extra time has determined to get into real estate. The joke is that in some States, liquor stores will accept, as forms of id, your drivers license or your real estate license. I sometimes compare Listing Agents to Restaurants: Out of every 10 that start up, only 1 is still around after 2 years. reaction to look for: Minimum of 4 years knowledge.

Is this your full-time profession?

In many jurisdictions, it is NOT a requirement that a Real Estate Listing Agent practice his craft on a full-time basis. While a few places, such as my native Winnipeg, DO require that real estate be our ONLY vocation, there are many places where your Real Estate Listing Agent might work on your case during the day, and then serve your meals at the local chuck wagon at night. Answer to look for: YES! Don't list with a REALTOR? who might have to choose between showing your home and picking up an extra shift at the local Piggly-Wiggly for some fast cash.

Where do you advertise my property?

Nearly every Real Estate Listing Agent uses the MLS?. Its an efective way of getting your residence noticed by buyers and other agents. But its not the ONLY way. New studies show that around 85% of real estate buyers start their search on the internet. So the reply you should be looking for includes not only the MLS, but effective internet presence.

Do you own a website?

This goes hand-in-hand with the previous question. With such a high percentage of buyers searching on the internet, your Real Estate Listing Agent should have an active website. I'm always amazed at how many Realtors don't even have a rudimentary site, let along a professionally managed, search engine optimized website. Reply to look for here is a definite YES, with a little explanation of how effective the site is, Google ranking, Alexa ranking etc

If something happens, who will I be dealing with?

Many a Real Estate Listing Agent runs a 'team', and the only time you'll actually be talking with him is during your initial interview. And trust me something WILL go awry. Possibly as little as spelling mistakes or poor photo quality in your listing, or it could be more important such as the wrong price displayed in the listing. Or perhaps you'll just have some questions about feedback from the most recent showing. Chances are, you will want to discuss something about your listing, so make certain that you know who you're going to be dealing with. The preferred reaction here : "If any issues come up, you call ME directly anytime. You're NOT going to be talking with my secretary, my assistant or my butler.... here is my cell number, it goes straight to ME".

How many properties do you sell in a month?

Find you how many homes the average agent in your town or city sells and then compare. Reaction to look for: Average is alright, but more knowledge is better. On the opposite end of the scale, if your prospective listing agent always carries in excess of 20 properties, how much time will he or she have to work on your file? Look for a nice balance.

About the Author

Bo Kauffmann is a real estate agent in Winnipeg, MB and publishes Winnipeg's Real Estate Blog and Remax Condo Listings at Winnipeg Condo Listings

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