Am seeking recommendations for listing agents in Great Falls (McLean: hardwood floors, real estate)

[uhuru]

We are planning on listing our house in the next two week. The house is located in Great Falls, VA and will likely be listed around $1.5 million.

I'd like to interview 4 or 5 agents and would like the names of agents that people have used or who are known as good agents who are informed about the Great Falls area.

There is one agent who has several listings in GF and we are thinking of talking to this agent but would love to get the names of a few others who might be worth interviewing.

[lqda4]

You want to list in the next two weeks and you have yet selected an agent? Unless you have a squeaky clean house totally uncluttered and fully prepared, that might be a bit optimistic. I have a modest home in good upgraded condition and even that it took me 2-3 weeks just to get things in order (mostly fresh paint) and 50% of my belonging into storage. My agent is fairly popular in the region and I'd recommend this agent. Feel free to send me a private message if you want the name.

[uhuru]

Originally Posted by lqda4

You want to list in the next two weeks and you have yet selected an agent? Unless you have a squeaky clean house totally uncluttered and fully prepared, that might be a bit optimistic. I have a modest home in good upgraded condition and even that it took me 2-3 weeks just to get things in order (mostly fresh paint) and 50% of my belonging into storage. My agent is fairly popular in the region and I'd recommend this agent. Feel free to send me a private message if you want the name.

We've been working on staging the house for the best part of two months. Interior was painted, the exterior painting was just completed this week when the weather improved as well as power-washing and staining the deck, hardwood floors were refinished, gave away at least twenty boxes of stuff as well as furniture to charities, trashed at least 70 large bags of other stuff, gave away a bunch of stuff through Craigslist and put some stuff into storage. The last thing being done this coming week is deep cleaning of the entire house as well as the carpets. So we've been pretty busy .........

Will send you a private message for the name of the agent.

Thanks

[lqda4]

Oh ok. Good luck with the sale!

I am hoping to see more houses popping up as well as we will soon be "homeless" (we are looking for a slightly larger home in our same area).

[FindingZen]

Note that posting recommendations for listing agents would be considered real estate advertising which is against the Terms of Service. Members unaffiliated with the real estate industry can feel free to contact the OP with their recommendations via Direct Message.

[April Whritenour]

You should put it on sooner than later. This is still a "seller's market", but that can change very quickly as inventory increases.

Also, when you interview any prospective agent, inquire as to their pricing analyses as well as strategies. Hopefully, that will help you weed out the all shine/ no substance agents. Best of luck!

[NovaOne]

Not going to recommend specific agents, but if you do a search for current listings in McLean and Great Falls, it'll be obvious that there are a few realtors who are very familiar with the area, consistently carrying numerous listings in the area, and know the pulse of the market. I'd go with one of those if I was hoping to sell a good home for a good price.

[uhuru]

Thanks for all the helpful responses.

I have received conflicting advice on the qualities that a good listing agent should have. There are a couple of people who have suggested that the most important things one should look for is someone who is responsive especially to other agents who come up with prospective buyers.

There are others who have argued that given the changing environment with the impact of the internet, having someone who is tech savvy or has access to such resources is the most important. The rationale is that today most buyers spend a lot of time looking at listings on the net and often suggest to their agents which homes they are interested in viewing. Therefore having a good description of the house combined with excellent quality images is very important.

My issue with the most successful agents in the Great Falls/McLean area is that one sees them at the time of listing and then contact with the agent is pretty much with the assistants ..... basically the agents who have a lot of listings would find it impossible to keep on top of things without the help of their assistants. Someone who used one of these high volume agents said it should not matter to the seller as long as there are those who are part of the team who can be responsive to inquiries whether from potential buyers or the seller.

Someone else suggested that I check out reviews on Zillow and elsewhere for different agents in the Great Falls area. I have done this but noticed that some of the agents with the most reviews seem to be catering to a different demographic in terms of the price range of the homes with which they are involved.

A good agent should certainly have effective negotiating skills but what I am wondering is with the advent of the internet and ready access to listings, what are some of the attributes that are the most important when it comes to identifying a good agent.

[NovaOne]

Originally Posted by uhuru

Thanks for all the helpful responses.

I have received conflicting advice on the qualities that a good listing agent should have. There are a couple of people who have suggested that the most important things one should look for is someone who is responsive especially to other agents who come up with prospective buyers.

I think that's a given; a prerequisite. All successful agent/brokers have this basic fundamental trait.

There are others who have argued that given the changing environment with the impact of the internet, having someone who is tech savvy or has access to such resources is the most important. The rationale is that today most buyers spend a lot of time looking at listings on the net and often suggest to their agents which homes they are interested in viewing. Therefore having a good description of the house combined with excellent quality images is very important.

Descriptions of the home is pointless IMO. The pictures says it all. Everyone exaggerate with words like stunning, exquisite, sumptuous, luxurious, extravagant, amazing, but the pictures don't lie. The best agents always have professionally composed and processed photos that look like they came out of a magazine spread.

My issue with the most successful agents in the Great Falls/McLean area is that one sees them at the time of listing and then contact with the agent is pretty much with the assistants ..... basically the agents who have a lot of listings would find it impossible to keep on top of things without the help of their assistants. Someone who used one of these high volume agents said it should not matter to the seller as long as there are those who are part of the team who can be responsive to inquiries whether from potential buyers or the seller.

I don't see that as a problem. These agents are successful because they know what's important and have the ability to execute. The fact that they operate through a team is beside the point. I am sure there are many independent agents who do great work. But the issue is finding them. Whereas with an agent that has demonstrated performance in an area, you know what you are getting.

A good agent should certainly have effective negotiating skills but what I am wondering is with the advent of the internet and ready access to listings, what are some of the attributes that are the most important when it comes to identifying a good agent.

A good agent will be able to tell you what to do to dress up the home, take good photos, improve its appeal. On the strategy side, the agent will advise you of a reasonable asking price to offer the home at, giving you analysis of comparable properties recently sold or currently on the market.

[April Whritenour]

Ask friends/ coworkers for referrals. Interview multiple agents. All agents have basically the same access to internet/ tech based resources. You need somone who is analytical and can price your property appropiately. Not only do they have to attract buyers willing to pay the price you are asking, but also they must be able to get your property to appraise. Pictures are important, especially since the internet sites are heavily visited. Equally as important, you want an agent who will have all of the details covered so that you have a smooth transaction start to finish. A really good agent will still be there to help you the day after settlement.