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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. ∆ |
