Choosing the Right Agent

Choosing the right agent is one of the most important steps towards the successful sale of your property. They’ll be doing all the hard work in your sale, from listing and marketing your home to negotiating sales and taking care of the legal aspects — all crucial to the success of your sale.

Think of choosing an agent as entering into a business partnership: because that’s exactly what it is — a partnership where both parties stand to gain from a successful result. Here’s a list of 20 questions you should ask:

1. How long have you been in the real estate business?
2. How long have you been affiliated with your company?
3. Are you a full-time real estate agent or do you work elsewhere 9 to 5?
4. Do you have a specific written action plan to present to me now?
5. What marketing samples can you show me? (e.g. Brochures, Flyers, Ads)
6. What do you hand out to Buyers? Can I see one now?
7. Is your marketing national, international and global?
8. How many homes have you personally sold and closed in the past 12 months?
9. What percentage of your listings expire as unsold?
10. What is the average Days-On-Market for your listings?
11. What is the List-To-Sale Ratio on your listings?
12. The internet is the way of the future, what Internet marketing and networking do you do?
13. Will you personally answer all the calls and internet inquiries about my home?
14. Once I hire you, do I talk directly with you, or am I put forward to your office receptionist?
15. Will you keep me informed and up-to-date on all showings and feedback?
16. Will you follow up with the agents who show my home to their Buyers?
17. Will you invest your own money and put a marketing plan in place for my home?
18. Will you provide the potential Buyers a connection to a great Mortgage Broker?
19. Who can qualify Buyers who are interested in purchasing my home?
20. How will you protect my equity in this sale?