5 Questions You Should Ask Your Realtor When It’s Time to Sell Your Home
Getting a good Realtor is a key part of selling your home. Unfortunately, not all agents are as up to the task of getting you a good offer as you might hope. As such, it’s important that you look into asking your Realtor a few questions before you decide to work with them.
Are You a Full-Time Realtor?
Not all real estate agents work as an agent full-time, and while that’s fine for some people, the best Realtor in your area will likely be working full-time. You’ll also want to make sure that the Realtor you are working with is experienced in your area. The last thing you want is a weekend warrior who is only spending a few hours a week trying to sell your home and doesn’t have access to the best local resources.
How Many Houses Are You Selling?
You’ll also want to find out how busy your realtor is. While you certainly don’t want someone who is so overloaded with clients that he or she doesn’t have time for you, you also don’t want to work with someone who can’t manage to bring in any clients. Finding someone who knows the importance of keeping a reasonable client load is always smart.
How Will You Market My Home?
You need to talk to your Realtor about marketing. How will they list your home? Where can you go to look at the listings? Talk about subjects like open houses as well, and make sure that you know how often your Realtor thinks that you should show your home. This bit of strategy can play a huge role in helping you get an offer.
What Are You Charging Me?
Money matters, and you want to make sure you know what you’re paying. Typically, the agent works on commission and will earn about six percent of what your home sells for. After you have made the sale, you will pay your Realtor the commission, which they will then split with the buyer’s Realtor, if there was one. While this is the standard, Realtors can charge rates that vary on a number of factors, so make sure that you know what you’re going to end up paying.
What Are My Responsibilities?
Finally, find out what your realtor expects from you. How often are you going to have to vacate your home for showings? What kind of changes are necessary to get your home on the market? Realtors know what’s needed to get your home sold, so those who have advice are usually those who are going to be able to get you a faster sale.
Make sure to talk about the things that concern you and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re having trouble understanding something. The better your communication with your realtor, the better this process should be.