Top 5 Questions to Ask Your Real Estate Agent
In #KTQuickTips E145 Milton Real Estate Agents, Adrian and Ariel of The Kormendy Trott Team discussed 5 Questions to ask a Realtor when interviewing. Check them out below… IS YOUR COMMISSION NEGOTIABLE? Consider how much they are charging relative to the services, market knowledge, skill and value they’re providing. If the numbers aren’t in-line, and they’re willing to reduce their commission at the drop of a dime, seriously consider how effective they will be when it comes time to negotiating the selling price of your home. If they’re not proving their ability to do so when negotiating their own income, it’s likely an indication for how hard they will work to squeeze every penny out of your sale. WHAT IS YOUR ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGY? Buyers are shopping online so you need to make sure you have a ton of online exposure. Social media websites are extremely effective at connecting with prospective buyers. Targeted advertising, high quality photos, great videos and other mediums are essential. You should check out your real estate agent’s social media pages – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. See how active they are and how they are currently listing and promoting their active properties. HOW WILL YOU STAGE MY HOME? If they have no plan in place or a very poor plan, the result will be poor too. Properly staged homes sell for more money. Make sure they have a great plan to ensure your home look amazing. Also, make sure they’re providing things like furniture, accessories, and artwork where needed. Oftentimes it comes down to the smallest details. DO YOU WORK FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME? Real estate is a very fast-paced industry. You need to make sure you’re working with a full-time agent who will always be there to answer your questions and handle any inquiries from prospective buyers and buyer’s agents. If they can’t be there at all times, it will likely cost you thousands of dollars. DON’T FORGET TO ASK FOR REFERENCES. They’re going to provide you a list of glowing references, but take it a step further. Go and knock on doors of people’s homes that have sold with that agent in the past or that are currently listed for sale. Ask them for their opinion – You’ll get unbiased, candid feedback. Another great option is to go online to websites like Facebook and Google for unbiased, unedited reviews.