Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm looking for a selling RE agent for my house I've owned for 33 years, then moving out of state.
Luckily I met one a couple decades ago at an open house in the neighborhood, and I've talked with him at other local open houses or on the phone a couple times a year. He's helped me recently by answering a few questions getting my house ready for sale. I like him a lot, I trust his experience and abilities, and he's my front runner to become my agent. I'm sure he's sold hundreds of houses in my neighborhood over the 2 decades I've known him. He has the job unless another agent convinces me they're the better choice.
I've been working with a buying RE agent in one state I may possibly move to, he's been very helpful (met him here at C-D), and I asked him to recommend an RE agent local to me. I have a market evaluation appointment with the recommended one this week.
I feel that I would get reasonable coverage if I interview 3 RE agents total before deciding who to sign with. Is three RE agent interviews enough? And how do I decide who the third interview (and possibly others) will be with?
I've been thinking I could do the following:
1. Call a large RE firm and ask for a market evaluation? I presume they have some method of distributing blind calls like that. Is that going to do me any good to get more or less the next random agent? Or is it just whoever lucky agent picks up the phone?
2. Call a large RE firm and ask ... what? Ask them for their best agent? Most experienced agent? One who has sold most houses in my local neighborhood? Or does that get me next random agent, same as a above?
3. I can drive around nearby streets and take down names and numbers off for sale signs and call them and ... what? Sure I can ask them for a market evaluation. Is it reasonable for me to ask a few qualifying questions before I agree to the market evaluation? "How many houses have you sold in my neighborhood?" "What is your experience?" "Why should I pick you as my selling agent?"
4. I wish I knew a neighbor who has recently bought or sold in this neighborhood, ask them for a recommendation. But I don't know anybody like that.
I hope I can get some reaction to my comments above, hope I can get some advice. Thanks!
Try going to Realtor.com and looking at listings in your area.
See who routinely offers the best presentation of the property, in words and photos.
Or, on your neighborhood "drive around" when you get names, go to their website and see how they present listings.
Don't get hung up on the size of the firm. Look for a great marketing plan. "It isn't the size of the firm in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the firm..."
Look at online marketing. Pull comparable homes to yours on Realtor.com and LOOK at the listing photos. They should all be straight, well lit, and of either professional or good amateur quality. I encourage you to look at the listings created by your two other agents.
Look at descriptions. Type in the addresses for a few of their listings into Google and see what comes up. Should be lots of hits and look at some of it to see what their online marketing looks like.
Whomever does the best job marketing online should be considered for an interview.
Luckily I met one a couple decades ago at an open house in the neighborhood, and I've talked with him at other local open houses or on the phone a couple times a year. He's helped me recently by answering a few questions getting my house ready for sale. I like him a lot, I trust his experience and abilities, and he's my front runner to become my agent. I'm sure he's sold hundreds of houses in my neighborhood over the 2 decades I've known him.
Why are you even bothering to look at other agents? What better qualifications do you need?
I'm looking for a selling RE agent for my house I've owned for 33 years, then moving out of state.
Luckily I met one a couple decades ago at an open house in the neighborhood, and I've talked with him at other local open houses or on the phone a couple times a year. He's helped me recently by answering a few questions getting my house ready for sale. I like him a lot, I trust his experience and abilities, and he's my front runner to become my agent. I'm sure he's sold hundreds of houses in my neighborhood over the 2 decades I've known him. He has the job unless another agent convinces me they're the better choice.
I've been working with a buying RE agent in one state I may possibly move to, he's been very helpful (met him here at C-D), and I asked him to recommend an RE agent local to me. I have a market evaluation appointment with the recommended one this week.
I feel that I would get reasonable coverage if I interview 3 RE agents total before deciding who to sign with. Is three RE agent interviews enough? And how do I decide who the third interview (and possibly others) will be with?
I've been thinking I could do the following:
1. Call a large RE firm and ask for a market evaluation? I presume they have some method of distributing blind calls like that. Is that going to do me any good to get more or less the next random agent? Or is it just whoever lucky agent picks up the phone?
2. Call a large RE firm and ask ... what? Ask them for their best agent? Most experienced agent? One who has sold most houses in my local neighborhood? Or does that get me next random agent, same as a above?
3. I can drive around nearby streets and take down names and numbers off for sale signs and call them and ... what? Sure I can ask them for a market evaluation. Is it reasonable for me to ask a few qualifying questions before I agree to the market evaluation? "How many houses have you sold in my neighborhood?" "What is your experience?" "Why should I pick you as my selling agent?"
4. I wish I knew a neighbor who has recently bought or sold in this neighborhood, ask them for a recommendation. But I don't know anybody like that.
I hope I can get some reaction to my comments above, hope I can get some advice. Thanks!
Looks like you have found your guy... you like him, he sells homes in your area successfully, and he has enough confidence in himself to offer you advice. Bingo ! Call him and git 'r' done.
Why bother interviewing anyone else? This realtor you've been interacting with for years should get your business. You're obviously comfortable with him and know he does a good job, so what's the hesitation?
In this market, I'd advise asking 1. How many homes have you sold in the last six months?, 2. How long were each of those homes on the market?, 3. What was the original list price vs. ultimate sales price for those properties.
What anyone has sold in the last two decades is no longer relevant. This market is UNPRECEDENTED. You want someone who knows how to SELL in it (not just list) without giving away the farm. Reasonable market time and a good list/sell ratio in the last six months will tell you who can navigate this beast and who is treading water.
Thank you for some very good suggestions! (I hope my reply won't discourage further responses.)
I'm definitely going to get some names from the neighborhood for sale signs and then investigate their Internet presence.
I got a market evaluation from "my guy" 4 months ago. Yeah, I like him a lot, but in reading this section of City-Data the point has been made many times that you should interview a few different agents before you make up your mind. I think that's good advice. For sure he has the job unless somebody else just knocks me out, but what harm is there in talking to a few more agents? Particularly I'd like to have each of them tell me what price I should list at, and what they think would be a reasonable successful bid amount. If all their numbers come within a couple K of each other then I can probably be pretty confident that I'm asking the right price and that I'll be prepared in knowing what a reasonable offer might be.
And anyway it'll take only perhaps an hour for each agent interview, doesn't it make sense to spend two hours to get the confidence that I'm making a good decision?
I interviewed the agent that was referred to me by my out of state RE agent I met here on C-D and was very impressed. I have an appointment tomorrow with the agent I've known for years but never done business with, who has also impressed me very much. I decided I don't need to over-think this. I'm going to pick one or the other and probably list my house about Feb. 1st or ASAP after that if I still have any last minute things to fix. So one or the other has got the job.
Thanks everybody for the advice!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What better qualifications do you need?
