We close more than 36 transactions every year! Our sales are evenly divided between buyers and sellers, so we have the pleasure of working extensively on both sides of the contract. We credit our success with hard work, honesty, and integrity. We truly care about our clients’ best interests and wish that everyone could work with conscientious agents. To that end, we have compiled a list of the top ten questions you should ask a prospective REALTOR prior to listing your home. Remember, you have a choice. The best agents do not cost more, but they will save you time and money. You deserve the best, demand the best!
- Are you a full-time, professional real
estate agent? Consider
if you were having surgery, would you hire a part-time doctor whose day job
was in retail? A home costs more
than open heart surgery. You should demand to work with a full-time real
estate agent.
- Will you perform a detailed market
analysis? Please
run from the following scenario: Your prospective agent shows up
for a listing appointment with a list of sold properties and says, “Homes
in this area are selling for an average of $100 per square foot, so your
home is worth $200K.” Many agents
just look at the average sold dollars per square foot to determine
value. A notch better are agents
who look for similar properties that have sold recently and average
those. The best agents will look
for similar properties that have sold recently and then make adjustments
to each property for square footage, quality of materials, view, lot size,
etc.
- Are you trying to buy my listing? Some agents will give
sellers an unrealistically high home value in order to beat out other
agents. Sellers naturally want to
hear that their house is worth the highest amount. Unfortunately, unscrupulous agents take
advantage of this. They list the
house high in order to get the listing and then they convince the seller
to lower the price later to get a sale.
Worse yet, some agents do not recommend lowering the price and the
house lingers for months without any showings.
- What kind of advertising will you do? Good agents will use a
broad spectrum of advertising, including: Multiple Listing Service (MLS),
yard signs, color flyers, lots of pictures, virtual tours, print
advertising, and of course internet advertising. Make sure that the list agent subscribes
to Realtor.com’s Showcase Homes package.
Otherwise, your home will be at the bottom of the list with few
pictures and no write up. Really good agents will also have
some of Realtor.com’s Featured Homes slots, where their listings scroll
across the top of Buyer’s searches.
- Have you closed at least ten
transactions in the last twelve months? Be sure your
real estate agent is more concerned about your best interest than with getting
a commission check. Some agents pressure sellers into making poor
decisions just to make a sale.
- Are you low-pressure? The last thing you need
when selling a house is a high-pressure sales person breathing down your
neck. You should be able to relax
and make an informed decision that best meets all of your wants and needs.
- Will
you research the buyer? Many
agents get so excited about an offer that they lose sight of the big
picture. An offer might be
wonderful on the surface, but the devil is in the details. Is the buyer financially strong? Will your house qualify for the loan
program that the buyer has selected?
Will there likely be appraisal issues? If so, will the buyer be able to bring
additional money to the table to close the transaction?
- Will
you fight for the earnest money? Sellers
take their home of the market in good faith that the buyer will complete
the transaction. However, buyers
sometimes just change their minds. There are several contingencies that might
protect a buyer’s earnest money including: inspection, appraisal, and
loan. There are contractually acceptable ways to cancel a contract. There
are also pitfalls where the buyer can lose the earnest money if the buyer’s
agent sends the wrong cancellation text.
- Will you give the buyer’s lender a sense
of urgency? Loans
often kill a transaction in this market. Loans can be delayed and
contracts cancelled because agents are not proactively working with their
buyer’s lender to ensure that the loan process is moving along and that
the underwriter has all of the required documentation. The seller’s agent can be proactive even
if the buyer’s agent is not.
- Will you research my property? Many agents just sign listing
paperwork and throw a sign in the ground.
When a contract arrives, they let other people do the work. Unbeknownst to the sellers, the property
may have title issues, permit issues, delinquent taxes, unreleased loans,
and a host of other issues.
Wouldn’t it be better to deal with any issues up front rather than
wait to resolve them when close of escrow is fast approaching?
Please contact Nancy and Brian Biggs prior to listing your home. We will take very good care of you and your hard-earned money.
-
My Home Tracker
- Save your favorite homes
- Get new property alerts
- Share with friends and family
-
Home Values
Find and compare local neighborhood home values