12 Questions to Ask When Choosing Your REALTOR®
Make sure you choose a
REALTOR® who will provide top-notch service and meet
your unique needs.
1.
How long have you been in residential real estate sales?
Is it your full-time job?
While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate —
like many other professions — is mostly learned on the
job.
2.
What designations do you hold?
Designations such as GRI and CRS®, which require that
agents take additional, specialized real estate
training, are held only by about one-quarter of real
estate practitioners.
3.
How many homes did you and your real estate brokerage
sell last year?
By asking this question, you’ll get a
good idea of how much experience the practitioner has.
4.
How many days did it take you to sell the average home?
How did that compare to the overall market?
The REALTOR® you interview should have
these facts on hand, and be able to present market
statistics from the local MLS to provide a comparison.
5.
How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you
sold were the final sale prices?
This is one indication of how skilled the
REALTOR® is at pricing homes and marketing to suitable
buyers. Of course, other factors also may be at play,
including an exceptionally hot or cool real estate
market.
6.
What types of specific marketing systems and approaches
will you use to sell my home?
You don’t want someone who’s going to put a For Sale
sign in the yard and hope for the best. Look for someone
who has aggressive and innovative approaches, and knows
how to market your property competitively on the
Internet. Buyers today want information fast, so it’s
important that your REALTOR® is responsive.
7.
Will you represent me exclusively, or will you represent
both the buyer and the seller in the transaction?
While it’s usually legal to represent both parties in a
transaction, it’s important to understand where the
practitioner’s obligations lie. Your REALTOR® should
explain his or her agency relationship to you and
describe the rights of each party.
8.
Can you recommend service providers who can help me
obtain a mortgage, make home repairs, and help with
other things I need done?
Because REALTORS® are immersed in the industry, they’re
wonderful resources as you seek lenders, home
improvement companies, and other home service providers.
Practitioners should generally recommend more than one
provider and let you know if they have any special
relationship with or receive compensation from any of
the providers.
9.
What type of support and supervision does your brokerage
office provide to you?
Having resources such as in-house support staff, access
to a real estate attorney, and assistance with
technology can help an agent sell your home.
10. What’s your business philosophy?
While there’s no right answer to this question, the
response will help you assess what’s important to the
agent and determine how closely the agent’s goals and
business emphasis mesh with your own.
11.
How will you keep me informed about the progress of my
transaction? How frequently?
Again, this is not a question with a
correct answer, but how you judge the response will
reflect your own desires. Do you want updates twice a
week or do you prefer not to be bothered unless there’s
a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or a
personal visit?
12.
Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of
your three most recent clients?
Ask recent clients if they would work
with this REALTOR® again. Find out whether they were
pleased with the communication style, follow-up, and
work ethic of the REALTOR®.
Reprinted from REALTOR® magazine (REALTOR.org/realtormag)
with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
REALTORS®.
