Part of my job as a Realtor is to seek out those who are interested in selling their home. Sometimes I talk to For Sale By Owners and when I ask if they’ve considered hiring a Realtor for the job of selling their home, I hear things like “Oh I have a friend who’s a Realtor, if I list I’ll list with her”, or “My brother-in-law is a Realtor”. But is it wise to hire a family or friend to sell your most precious asset? How is that person’s track record? Are they full-time? Will they do the best possibly job marketing your home, or just put up the sign and let it sit on the market? Could things get awkward if you hire a friend if you run into issues during the selling process?
If you are considering hiring a Realtor, there are some questions you should ask and issues you should research before doing so, whether its your brother-in-law or an agent who claims to be the best in town. Here are some tips to find the best qualified Realtor to sell your home:
1. Ask if the Realtor is full-time? Many agents have taken other jobs in this economy to make ends meet, but you really want someone who is available to you and won’t have an issue with their day job getting in the way.
2. Does the agent have a successful track record? Realtors often spout off numbers as far as what they’ve sold, but ask for it in writing – have them print out their most recent sales for you to see. You’ll be surprised at which ones were being honest.
3. Does the Realtor have testimonials from past clients? Can you call them? You can find my testimonials here, and I’m always happy to provide phone numbers of clients who you can speak to about my services to them.
4. What does the Realtor specialize in? If you need to do a short sale on your home – make sure you are hiring an expert in that field and ask how many they’ve successfully completed.
5. Has the Realtor ever had a complaint filed against them? This is really easy to find out by going to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s website. You can even use this site to file a complaint against a Realtor if you feel you were improperly represented.
6. Can you see some of the Realtor’s past work? How about current listings, marketing pieces, how long are their listings typically on the market? What is their list to sell ratio? These are all imperative to ask, because different Realtors may have very different stats.
If you are thinking about hiring a Realtor to list your home, or help you buy a home in the Tampa Bay area, please allow our team of agents to interview for the job to represent you. You can contact us here.
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