5 Questions To Ask A Realtor Before Signing On With Them

Selling your home is not something you do every day and it is fraught with legal requirements you’re not likely to know about. Just thinking about selling is stressful and for most sellers, it doesn’t get any easier until of course the house is sold.

There are steps you can take to relieve stress including arming yourself up with lots of knowledge on the real estate market in your area. You can get information on the market and the property sales process from a realtor. However, you’ll need to declare your interest in selling your home before you get any useful information on the real estate market and the sales transaction process.

Realtors aka estate agents can sniff out a timewaster and they need this skill so they are more productive i.e. sell more homes.

Choosing the right real estate agent can be challenging, especially if you are new in the real estate industry so the starting point is doing some research i.e. you want a realtor who has a very good sales record especially in your area. In this article, we present five questions that you can take to your prospective estate agents to cull the list down to one – the agent who will represent you and your home.

Questions To Select The Right Realtor

How many years have you been in the real estate industry?

This question will help you determine the realtor’s experience in the real estate industry. You could also ask more related questions to help you gather sufficient information regarding their experience. Inquire about some of the projects that they have successfully transacted in the area over the past year. Also, try to ask about the duration on which the homes were in the market before they could get a viable buyer. This gives you an idea of how long you could have to wait before you get your house sold.

Get to know what they understand about the real estate market as well. You could ask about their predictions on the market in the future. If they have some true information regarding the real estate market in the area then they could be experienced in the transactions. However, realtors who have worked in the business for a few years may not be fully experienced to help you sell your house at the best price.

What strategy do you have to sell my house at the best price?

The real estate agent should quickly give you an idea of how they intend to market your home to maximize your returns and sell the house in a short duration. They should come up with a detailed marketing plan and some supportive documents on how they intend to advertise your home to the prospective buyers. They could probably be thinking of making an online marketing technique, email marketing, or selling on open houses. However, they should provide some real examples of projects promoted with similar strategies to determine the efficiencies of the marketing strategies that they are intending to use in selling your house.

What is the best price to tag on my house?

The realtor should provide an estimated price based on the current market conditions, the location of your home, and the value of your home as well. They should also support their valuation with an explanation of the price range. You can get evidence of the price placed on similar houses within your neighborhood. You can also check on the comparative market analysis to determine whether the price tagged is in the right range and matches the current market standards.

What improvements can I make to increase my house valuation?

You are definitely looking for a realtor who will help you sell your home at the best price and, therefore, they should have an idea of some of the changes that you could make to increase your house valuation. The realtor could give you suggestions on making some renovations such as repainting, fixing the broken pipes, windows, getting more plants and flowers at the front garden, or repairing the broken tiles.

What are your commission charges?

Getting to know the agent fees is key to help you in choosing the best buyer who can help you sell your home while maximizing profits. Based on the current market standards, most realtors’ commission is between 3 – 5 per cent. However, you could choose to bargain if the charges are too high. You should also inquire if there are any additional fees charged before you sign the contract.

Some realtors may charge some fees on advertising costs, inspections, and property reports among other expenses.
Getting an experienced realtor is vital to getting your house sold for the best price. You should, therefore, take the time to choose the best real estate person before you sign the contract.

Summary

Preparation is everything. Putting in the right effort to select the right estate agent will relieve some of the stress of selling your home. For managing the rest of it, you need to get plenty of sleep, maybe this guide on how to sleep on your side will have you waking up bright-eyed and ready for the next most stressful event – moving to a new home!