It's easy to
find a real estate agent. Just put a for sale sign in the yard and wait
for the phone to ring. The question is, how do you find a GOOD real
estate agent? You can start with newspaper.
Pick up the Saturday or Sunday paper -
whichever day they have all the homes for sale in your area. You can
also collect a few real estate guides to look through. Browse the
listings to find properties similar to yours. If you are selling a
cabin, you want to look for cabins for sale. If you are selling a
lakefront mansion, look for those.
When you find similar properties, note
the names and numbers of the agents that are selling them. The idea
here is to find a real estate agent that has experience with your type
of property. An agent that has all the million dollar homes may not be
the best to sell your mobile home, for example. You want agents that
have sold or are selling several properties like yours.
What To Ask A Real Estate Agent
1. When you call the agents - and it's
best to call several - you want to verify that they do have experience
selling properties like yours. Ask for examples.
2. Ask what they do to market a
property. Any agent can place an ad and put your home in the multiple
listings. Do they have existing leads - people looking for properties
like yours? Do they let other agents know about your property?
3. Do they show their listings very
often? Many agents just list real estate for sale and let others sell
it for them. It's more profitable for them, but not for you. If they
are a good salesperson, you want them to be going through the house
with potential buyers.
4. Do they do their own closings?
Again, it may be better for them to delegate this part of the process,
but it isn't better for you. You want the same person to be there
through the whole process. You want one person to call. Things go wrong
all the time in real estate, so don't complicate it further by having
more people involved.
Most real estate agents will probably
argue these points. That's okay, but be aware that there are other
things they won't tell you too. For example, did you know that open
houses are primarily a prospecting tool for real estate agents? In
fact, new agents (not the listing agent) are often given the job of
hosting your open house, so they can find buyers to work with. It isn't
expected that they will sell your house in the process.
Also understand that when you see ads
for homes for sale, and they don't have prices, it is a prospecting
technique. When that buyer looking for a $100,000 home calls on your
$300,000 home, the agent isn't going to make him able to afford your
home. The whole point was to get him to call so he could sell him ANY
home. Meanwhile, other potential buyers for your home skipped over the
ad - there are enough homes WITH prices to look at (insist that ads for
your property have the price listed).
Trust your intuition when choosing an
agent. If you don't feel comfortable with an agent, it's possible
potential buyers won't either. And ask the right questions. You don't
just want to find a real estate agent you like. You want to find the
right agent for your property.
