Ten Questions You Must Ask a Real Estate Professional Before You List!

Many home sellers make the critical mistake of thinking all Realtors® are the same. They list with the first agent who comes along. Does it make good business sense to put the responsibility of selling your home with someone who has no plan or qualifications? These ten questions will help you to make the right decision when it comes to choosing the best agent to list and sell your home.

You can often get a good idea which agents are the most professional by looking at their promotional materials. If their own materials are not professional, how well are they going to market your home? Track how long each agent takes to respond to your request and how quickly they follow up. If they do not respond efficiently to your requests, imagine how they will handle potential homebuyers.

Look for an agent who has experience with homes similar to yours and is active in your area. If your home has special features, look for an agent with experience in those areas. Your agent should have a good record of selling homes, not just listing them. After all, this is your ultimate goal.

Don't automatically assume the shorter time on the market the better. That could reflect selling homes quickly at lowball prices. Look at the comparison of asking price vs. sold price. An agent who sells close to the asking price is effective in helping his clients determine the right price and achieving that goal.

The length of time a real estate agent has been licensed is not a sure fire sign that they have been an active seller. They may have been in business for 10 years but only part time, whereas an agent who has been in business for 4 years may be a top producer. Take into account the professional organizations they belong to, also. The minimum should be a licensed professional who is a member of the local real estate board and multiple listing service as well as the state and National Association of Realtors®. Local community groups and associations are also pluses in terms of networking and commitment.

By employing someone to handle the details of their business the agent can spend more time servicing your needs. However, make sure you know how much time an agent will spend and how much time their assistant will spend on the sale of your home. It may be fine if the assistant does most of the legwork as long as the agent is there at the most critical times of the transaction.

Simply putting a sign on your lawn and holding open houses every Sunday will not sell your home. Look for an agent with a specific plan for each open house. The plan should be just one facet of a complete marketing plan.

Pricing is the most critical step to selling your home. Take great care in choosing an agent with the knowledge to price your home effectively. Keep in mind the selling price should attract prospective buyers to your home, get you top dollar in the current market and reflect the condition of your home. Be realistic and avoid 'yes agents', who will say 'yes' to any request or price while your home languishes on the market. Lowball agents will try to talk you into an artificial price simply to sell as fast as possible and agents that allow you to list at any price simply want to place a sign (i.e. an advertisement for themselves) in your yard.

Have your agent go over every detail in the listing agreement with you until you understand it completely. Make sure the beginning and ending dates are on the agreement. Know exactly what fees you will be paying and remember that less is not always better. If the agent stands to make very small commission, you can bet it will reflect in the amount of time and effort spent on marketing your home. If the agent reduces their commission to get the listing, it may mean they intend to spend very little money promoting the property. The normal commission varies from region to region, but is typically between 5 and 7 percent.

Create a home marketing file including a property fact sheet, a property disclosure statement, pest control report, property profile from the title company, and special equipment report for pools, sprinklers, and alarm systems. Your agent should be able to handle this for you.

How effectively will they advertise? Do they have 24-hour advertising capability? Agents who are innovative and offer new methods of attracting homebuyers such as the Internet will measurably outperform agents who rely on methods of the past. Marketing effectively in the year 2006 and beyond requires progressive strategies that add value and service for both buyers and sellers!