How to Hire an Agent to Sell Your Home

How to sell your home and how to choose an agent

Choosing a Realtor to Sell Your Home
Unless you have a lot of time and energy, you'll probably want to hire a Realtor to sell your home. A Realtor, by  definition, is a member of the National Association of Realtors. While it's possible to find an agent that isn't a member of this organization, it's probably not a good idea. Realtors are bound by codes of ethics that give you some protection against dishonest practices.  Here is the way to find a good agent:


Picking Candidates:
Look for Realtors who've sold homes in or near your neighborhood in the recent past and those whose successful sales are in the same general price range as your home. Never hire someone from out of the area, no matter how good their qualifications.

Interview at least three candidates for the job. Picking your friend's friend or your brother-in-law's cousin isn't the way to go. Neither is hiring someone just because you know them from church or used to work with them.

Asking Questions:
1) Ask questions about qualifications. Here is a list of things you'll want to know:

  A) How much full-time experience have you had?

  B) What  volume of sales did you, personally close last year?

  C) What  sets your brokerage apart from the others in town?  How much of the total sales in the area did your brokerage do?

2) Ask questions about valuation:

  A) What is your best guess about what my home is worth? What would you list it for, and what would you expect it to sell for?

  B) Ask for a comparative market analysis and a detailed explanation of the ways in which the homes in the analysis are like yours or different.

  C) How does the current market affect sales prices in this area? Is the outlook improving or worsening?

  D) What are your reasons for the price you've suggested for my home? How long do you think it will take to sell at or  near that price?

3) Ask questions about marketing:

  A) What will you do to advertise my property? Where will ads appear, how often will they appear, and what will they look like?

  B) Will you include photos of my home's interior and exterior on the Realtor website and on your company's website? How many photos will you use? If the photos come out poorly, will you redo them?