Q: How Do I Choose the Right Listing Agent?

These four tips will help you choose the right agent to sell your home.

Selling your home is a major life event, so having the right real estate agent is crucial. There are many factors to consider, but today I’m focusing on the four main areas that will help you differentiate one agent from the next:

1. Personality fit. If you don’t connect well with your agent, you’re not going to have a good working relationship. Make sure your communication styles match up, you feel heard, you feel good about the process, and they know what’s important to you. 

2. Marketing and sales plan. Most agents will put a “For Sale” sign in your yard, put your home on the MLS, then sit back and wait for calls to come in about the property. This is not an effective strategy for getting top dollar in this market. The basics of a sales and marketing plan will include brochures, staging, photography, and a digital video tour. Ensure your agent has phone and email marketing campaigns so your home is getting in front of as many buyers and buyer’s agents as possible.

3. Valuation and negotiation skills. Valuing a property is an art form, and unfortunately, most agents are not very good at it. Ensure they’re bringing you at least six months' worth of stats on the sales of homes that are similar and in close proximity to yours. That will give you an accurate estimate of what the market will bear for your house. Negotiating is also an art form, so ensure your agent has a good track record of high-level negotiations because that will be critical if you get multiple offers. You also want an agent that can creatively formulate a deal that works for both sides. 

4. Pricing. Beware of the agent that promises you the highest sales price and the lowest commission. As with every other area of life, you get what you pay for; if you don’t want to pay much in commission, don’t expect much in terms of effort and a marketing plan. If you’re willing to pay full commission, then you can expect the full range of services. 

If you have questions or there’s anything we can help you with, please reach out to us via phone or email. We want to be your real estate resource.