Choosing an Agent
The Mistake Many Agents Love Sellers to Make
The most important decision a Seller will make is selecting an Agent. Unfortunately most consumers do not know how to select an Agent. Many fall into the trap of selecting their Agent based on an attractive price they can get them for their home, or base it on the commission the Agent charges.
I’ve been in Real Estate for 15 years now. Having relocated many times during my career, I too was a Seller and had to select Agents to list my homes. I have to admit I too fell into the trap. But I quickly learned I am hiring them to market my home, so I better start finding out if they are a successful marketer. Everything else is secondary. If my home doesn’t sell, wasn’t the price and commission irrelevant?
What makes a Listing Agent a Great Marketer?
Experience Makes the Difference! Marketing is a profession and comes with education and experience. It’s easy to spot an Agent with a proven track record.
How Do I Know if an Agent is a Great Marketer?
There is a saying in business that will tell you a lot about who you are dealing with… ”Success Breeds Success.” If you needed a surgeon, would you feel more comfortable with a surgeon fresh out of med school, or someone who has done this surgery hundreds of times before?
Rules for Selecting an Agent
- Full Time – A full time Agent is a must. If you would not hire a part time surgeon, you should not hire a part time Agent! There is only one way to tell if an Agent is full time. Ask them how many homes they sold in the last 12 months. Anything less than two dozen homes, and they are probably not the Agent you want. An interesting statistic in this business is "80% of homes are sold by 20% of the Agents." Hiring one of the 20% ensures success.
- Marketing Descriptions of the Home - Ask them to write the Marketing Description for Your home. A pet peeve of mine is, if the house has “gorgeous” hardwood floors, say that? Many Agents have forgotten what they learned in grammar school…what an adjective is. If it has a "fabulous gourmet" kitchen, say it! If the marketing description does not draw you into the house, making you want to see it, then it's probably not a good Marketing Description of your home.
- Great Pictures – It is proven Pictures Sell Houses. What does your eye gravitate to when you pull up a listing? The pictures! Ask to see a sampling of their Listings from the last 12 months. Two things to look for: 1) the Marketing Description and those Adjectives; 2) are there at least 18 Pictures, mostly of inside the house? Are they clear, crisp, bright and cheery? Do they make you want to go see the house? After all isn’t that the goal of the Pictures?
- References – Ask to speak with 2-3 references. Please make sure you call or email them. Ask the reference about numbers 2 and 3 above. You also want to ask about communications as that is the number one complaint about Agents. I hear it all the time, “after I listed my home, I never heard from them again.” Feedback is so important in this business.
- Getting the Word Out – It’s all about the Internet today. Is the company behind the Agent up on technology and the web? Where will people see my home on line? Today local web exposure is not good enough. Homes need regional and national web exposure. Ask for evidence of their ability to get you regional and national web exposure.
- It’s OK to select an Agent who is a relative, friend or friend-of-a-friend, but don’t forget rules 1-5. Just because you or someone else knows them, that does not make them a good marketer.
It takes more to sell a home than putting a sign out front and putting it in MLS!
I Would Love to Add You to My Growing List of Satisfied Clients. Want to Learn How to Take Advantage of Today’s Real Estate Market.