There are a LOT of decisions to make when selling your home. The selection of a Realtor directly affects the way your transaction will be handled. Will they be a good fit for you? Can you have confidence knowing that you will be well represented and informed? Make sure to ask these questions to EVERY Realtor before making your choice.
1. How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job? While
experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate — like many other professions is mostly
learned on the job.
2. What designations do you hold? Designations such as GRI and CRS®, which require that agents
take additional, specialized real estate training, are held only by about one-quarter of real estate
practitioners.
3. How many homes did you and your real estate brokerage sell last year? By asking this
question, you’ll get a good idea of how much experience the practitioner has.
4. How many days did it take you to sell the average home? How did that compare to the overall
market? The REALTOR® you interview should have these facts on hand, and be able to present
market statistics from the local MLS to provide a comparison.
5. How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final sale prices? This is one
indication of how skilled the REALTOR® is at pricing homes and marketing to suitable buyers. Of
course, other factors also may be at play, including an exceptionally hot or cool real estate market.
6. What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my home? You
don’t want someone who’s going to put a For Sale sign in the yard and hope for the best. Look
for someone who has aggressive and innovative approaches, and knows how to market your
property competitively on the Internet. Buyers today want information fast, so it’s important
that your REALTOR® is responsive.
7. Will you represent me exclusively, or will you represent both the buyer and the seller in the
transaction? While it’s usually legal to represent both parties in a transaction, it’s important to
understand where the practitioner’s obligations lie. Your REALTOR® should explain his or her
agency relationship to you and describe the rights of each party.
8. Can you recommend service providers who can help me obtain a mortgage, make home
repairs, and help with other things I need done? Because REALTORS® are immersed in the
industry, they’re wonderful resources as you seek lenders, home improvement companies, and
other home service providers. Practitioners should generally recommend more than one
provider and let you know if they have any special relationship with or receive compensation
from any of the providers.
9. What type of support and supervision does your brokerage office provide to you? Having
resources such as in-house support staff, access to a real estate attorney, and assistance with
technology can help an agent sell your home.
10. What’s your business philosophy? While there’s no right answer to this question, the response
will help you assess what’s important to the agent and determine how closely the agent’s goals
and business emphasis mesh with your own.
11. How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently? Again,
this is not a question with a correct answer, but how you judge the response will reflect your
own desires. Do you want updates twice a week or do you prefer not to be bothered unless
there’s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or a personal visit?
12. Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most recent clients?
Ask recent clients if they would work with this REALTOR® again. Find out whether they were
pleased with the communication style, follow-up, and work ethic of the REALTOR®.