home for sale

Selling Your Home ~ The Listing Agent

So you have decided to sell your home. For what ever the reason, you have determined now is the time. How important is it when making a decision on a Listing Agent? In my opinion, this decision is the most important in the process. If your Listing Agent does not do a good job, your house will not sell.

Don’t be fooled by an agent who is willing to list your home for the highest price. By overpricing your home, it has the potential of sitting on the market for an extended period of time. You want to SELL your home, not just LIST your home! Ask for the numbers that support the sales price. A good Listing Agent will be able to provide you comparable sales in your neighborhood that justify your asking price. The same goes for a home priced too low. This may guarantee a quick sale, but have you gotten a fair price?

What should you look for when interviewing a Listing Agent?

• Marketing ~ How will your home be marketed? Ask for a marketing plan. Confirm your home will be placed on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) Where else will your home be advertised? The Internet? Newspapers? Magazines? Will the Listing Agent hold your home open? Will there be print advertising? In what form? By having your home marketed to a wide audience will increase the number of people seeing that your home is for sale.
• Communication ~ How is the Listing Agent at communication? Do your phone calls get returned? Does she respond to email? If the communication with you is not up to your expectation, imagine someone trying to contact them to inquire about your property! You will also want to be updated throughout the process. How will your Listing Agent keep you informed?
• Honesty ~ You need to feel confident you are being treated with honesty and respect. Trust your intuition. Your Listing Agent should speak from the heart, have your best interest in mind and have the ability to let you know the facts. Even if it may be something you do not want to hear. Do you really want to work with someone that agrees with everything you say? The sky is green. You are right Mr. Seller, I couldn’t agree more!
• Negotiation Skills ~ A Listing Agent should be able to negotiate the best deal possible for you. You do not want someone to take a quick, easy sale at your expense.
• Experience~ Today’s real estate market presents many challenges. From Short Sales to Foreclosed properties. Each transaction has it’s own unique situation that may not be easily resolved. Working with an experienced Listing Agent and REALTOR® can provide you with the assurance any situation that may come about will be resolved quickly and professionally.

By taking the time to understand the process and finding a Listing Agent that will work for you will enable you to sell your home for the highest price possible while keeping the transaction on course. An experienced Listing Agent will properly advise you with all the required disclosures while keeping real estate transactions from falling apart, or being brought into court. When selling your home, make sure you have a Listing Agent that will work for YOU, not their pocketbook!