Questions you SHOULD ask a Realtor before you hire them to sell your home:

- Are you a full time agent? Although there are many great agents who work with our firm that started part-time and grew into our top agents, if you are looking to sell your property in a slowing market or for the most money possible, you need to hire a dedicated, full-time professional.

- What kind of real estate experience do you have? This is a tricky question, because I have met many agents and brokers with twenty years in the real estate industry, but still don’t know what they’re doing. Ask an open ended question and find out what kind of experience they have actually had. It’s important to find out how experienced the agent is, but the next question may be more important.

- How many properties have you sold in the last year, or in your career? I have met a number of Realtors who advertise they are number one producers who in reality sell very few homes each year. A successful agent sells more than two homes per month or at least twenty-four per year. If the agent is selling sixty or more homes per year, find out how many homes they list for sale. There are agents who are listing machines that prospect to find home sellers, list them, and never communicate with the seller again. You want an agent who sells a significant number of homes, but also take the time to service his or her clients.

- What is your average list price to sales price ratio? This question often stumps agents. Your objective is not to torture the agent while you are interviewing him or her. Your goal is to determine if the agent is successfully selling homes at or near list price. If they are, then they may be skilled at both marketing and pricing.

- Have you sold other homes in my neighborhood or area? This is not always necessary. A good Realtor can sell homes anywhere in his or her market area regardless of whether or not the have ever sold there before. However, it is a good idea to get a feel for his or her knowledge of the marketplace.

- Do you have any assistants or support staff? Assistants are not necessary for an agent to be a good fit for you in marketing and selling your property. However, if the agent is selling more than thirty properties a year and does not have someone assisting them, you should be concerned that the agent will not be able to find adequate time to assist you in truly marketing your home.

- Do you have any references? The best agents either carry references or can provide some within a day. You are interviewing this person for the position of marketing your home. Just like any employee, you want to be able to verify the quality of their past work history.

- Can you provide me samples of marketing you have done on other properties? Some real estate agents can talk a good game, but don’t have follow through. You want to verify that they’ve done the job in the past. They should be able to provide you copies of brochures for several listings they have sold, as well as copies of advertising done in homes magazines or the newspaper.

- How often will you be in contact with me during the term of the listing? A good agent should be communicating with you on a weekly basis. Any less than that, and they are clearly not focused on selling your property.

- Do you offer any guarantees? You are not looking for someone to guarantee that he or she will buy your home if he or she cannot sell it. Those programs are often not worth the paper they are written on. You want to know if the agent will call you regularly, try to find feedback on showings, and guarantee that they will release you from the listing if you are unhappy with the service.

- Am I locked into this listing for six months? Agents who are certain of their excellent service will often offer a cancellation clause in their listings. If you, as the seller, are unhappy with their service, they will release you from the listing.

- Will you send me copies of all advertising? What gets verified gets done. You want an agent to be willing to send you copies of all their marketing efforts so you can have input into the marketing.

- What do you believe sets your marketing and service apart from other Realtors? This question may be the clincher for finding the best agent. The agent you are looking for should have integrity and should have a well thought out marketing and servicing plan.

- At what point in time would we need to sit back down and re-evaluate the marketing? How long will the agent work on the listing before he or she finds that you need to change direction. There is no right or wrong answer, but it gives you insight into the thought process the agent goes through when marketing a property.

Please read more about the process in my book How to Sell Your Home in ANY Market.

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