Interviewing Real Estate Agents, Part 2: The Specifics

In part one of this two-part series, we looked at the basic questions you should ask potential agents before hiring them. Now let’s look at questions that deal with the specifics of your home and neighborhood and a potential agent’s marketing plans:

1) “What areas do you have knowledge of?” Although this may not apply to smaller communities in which all agents have a good knowledge of the area, this is a very important question to ask in larger towns and cities. You’ll want a real estate agent who has excellent knowledge of your particular community.

2) “What is the market like in my community?” With the current state of the market, not only will you need an agent who’s savvy with the current conditions, but you’ll also need an agent who knows nuances from community to community. A good agent will be able to tell you what areas are hot and what areas are stagnant.

3) “How will you market my home?” A quality agent will have a marketing plan that is tailored specifically to your house, neighborhood, and market. The key to any good marketing plan is diversity; an agent should market your home in several different ways. Also, all agents should use the internet as a marketing tool. If a potential agent doesn’t mention how they’ll market your home on the Internet, that could be a red flag.

4) “Is an open house the most effective way to sell my home?” Open houses are useful, but not necessarily to lure potential buyers to see your home. Many agents will have open houses during the week to show to other real estate agents who, in turn, can market your home to their clients. In other words, instead of just one agent working to sell your home, you may have several.

5) “What is your plan if my home doesn’t sell right away?” With homes now sitting on the market longer, you’ll want an agent who has a back-up plan. Will they ask you to consider lowering the price? Will they re-list your home to “freshen up” the listing? Will they use direct mailing to aggressively target potential buyers? No one wants to believe that their house will go unsold, but unfortunately, this could happen.

Although this is just a starting point, these questions are should give you a very good idea if a particular agent is for you or not. In the end, you’ll want a real estate agent whom you’re comfortable with—and will sell your home as quickly, efficiently, and painlessly as possible.  ∆