How to Hire the Best Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

Did you know that more than half of people looking to sell their home only interview one real estate agent before hiring someone? In reality, it’s wise to meet with at least three agents before making a decision on which one to use.

Why? Well, aside from all the legal documents and transactions that make up the sale of your home (obviously these are very important), choosing the best possible agent to list your home could make a difference in not only how long your home sits on the market, but also the price you get for it when you eventually get it sold.

On top of that, when your home sells, you’re going to be paying this person thousands of dollars for their services. You deserve someone who is going to go above and beyond to sell your house as quickly as possible, for the best possible price, and as smoothly as possible.

That being said, we’ve made a checklist to help you through the process of choosing the right listing agent and what really makes some agents stand out among the rest:

Start with referrals. Ask trusted family members and friends for referrals. Assemble three or more names, set appointments and interview each of them. Customer service is huge and if your friends/family felt well taken care of – or the opposite – then chances are you will too.

Experience counts. An agent with at least two to three years experience should be able to handle any problems that surface in marketing and selling a home. Although don’t count out newly licensed agents that are motivated to deliver top-notch customer service to grow their client base. You want someone who has the answers, or if they don’t have the answers, will do whatever they can to find them.

Digital marketing savvy? THIS IS HUGE. We live in an increasingly wireless world. Upwards of 80 percent of home shoppers start their searches online. Find the agent’s own business website. It should be attractive and offer professional photos and virtual tours of listed homes. The agent should be comfortable using Facebook and other social media platforms. If you look at an agent’s listings on Zillow, Realtor.com, or some other portal, and see pictures that aren’t well done or a short verbiage that barely describes the home, these are BIG red flags. If they can’t invest the time and money it takes to get proper photos and a detailed description of your home to appeal to buyer’s, then perhaps they don’t deserve your time and money.

Selling numbers? Has the agent sold any homes in your neighborhood? If so, how many? Ask about other listing stats, such as days on market, average sales price, sales price as a percentage of the list price, but remember to put these numbers in the proper context, particularly if in the midst of a slow market. Some of these things are out of the agent’s control, but you’d be surprised the magic a really good and knowledgeable real estate agent can work when faced with a tough sale.

Preparations. Did the agent come prepared? They should show up to meet with you with comparables, sales trends in your area, a marketing strategy or outline of how they’re going to best market your unique home, and other insightful data to enhance your sales strategy.

Copy of an agency agreement. The listing agent should clearly spell out what services would be included in the agreement, what the commission percentage will be, what financial responsibilities will or could fall on the seller. More information is always better when you’re signing a legally binding contract, so don’t use anyone who isn’t being clear about what you’re getting yourself in to.

Extra training and certification? A good listing agent adds certifications and takes special courses to benefit clients. They do everything they can to stay on top of any new real estate happenings to ensure they are giving their clients the best possible service they can.

We hope this list is helpful in your search to find the best agent for you. As far as our real estate company goes, we do all of these things plus more to try to ensure you have the best real estate experience you can. If you’re interested in learning more about our strong and unique marketing strategy, give us a call at 928-771-1111 and we’d love to meet with you to talk more!