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During a listing presentation, it can be easy to lose sight of what you’re looking for in a real estate agent, but there are key things you should know before you hire. Here are some important questions you should ask the agent:
What are your home sale prices? What are your days on market? What is your list-to-sale ratio? The answers to these three questions will help you weed out the agents you wouldn’t want pricing your home. For example, if you find an agent that has 50 listings, their average days on market is 300 and their list-to-sale ratio is 87%, you’ll know that this is not somebody you want in your corner. Ideally, you want an agent whose days on market is fewer than 30 and whose list-to-sale ratio is at least 97%. This is an agent that will price your home properly.
What kind of exposure are you going to give my home? Which websites will it be listed on? Websites will drive traffic to the house, but also ask the agent what other courses of action they’ll take beyond website listing. Do they work with other agents? Do they market to other agents? This is important because other agents need to know that your home is available.
Do you do open houses? Open houses are ineffective because they usually serve only as a way to get the agent more business. The biggest issue with open houses is that they tend to bring in a lot of unqualified buyers who only want to come in to snoop around your home. With all of the technology available to home buyers today, if somebody is interested in seeing your home, they’ll make a private appointment.
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Open houses are often ineffective.
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Which factors will raise the value of my home? The agent should be able to tell you what you need to do and have contractors available for you to make the necessary repairs.
What might buyers dislike about my home? There are some elements of your home, like pools, worn-out carpet, or bad countertops that may deter buyers from buying your home without you even knowing. These are the things you need to discuss when deciding on a price for your home.
The bottom line is that a good agent should have answers to these questions immediately, and without telling you that they will have to get back to you.
