One of the most significant transactions you will ever make is selling or buying a home, so you must find essential questions to ask a realtor. Getting a good realtor makes the process less challenging because they are more aware of the market.
However, finding the best realtor is also tricky. The first step to finding a real estate professional is interviewing them. During the interview, ask a realtor about their years of experience, market knowledge, availability, and preferred mode of communication. Also, check their license.
Questions to Ask Realtors When Selling
Selling a real estate property by yourself can be challenging. You have little knowledge of finding a buyer, quoting the selling price of your house, and ensuring you adhere to all the legal conditions. However, an experienced realtor will make the selling process more manageable. These questions will help you get the best realtor.
1. How Many Years of Experience Do You Have in The Business?
Real estate properties are valuable, and you want to leave yours in the hands of the most experienced realtor. But, besides qualifications, years of experience also matter. Realtors with more years of experience know how the market operates, where to find buyers, and how to convince them to buy.
You can ask the realtor for sales data as evidence of their experience. You can also test if they know the trends in the real estate market. For example, how is the current supply and demand, and when is the property likely to sell? Most experienced realtors keep up to date with the current market trends.
2. How Qualified Are You?
Besides experience, a realtor’s qualifications are also necessary. One way to verify their qualifications is by checking their license, academic, and insurance certificates. If the realtor does not have the credentials, you can look for another one.
3. What Is Your Availability?
One of the other important questions to ask a realtor is their availability. If the realtor works part-time, they have a divided focus and might not be available to discuss the progress of selling your house. Working with a part-time agent might also take longer to sell a property.
It is advisable to hire full-time realtors to give your selling property all the attention. They also know the market trends better and the best places to find buyers.
4. Do You Struggle with Communication, And Which Modes Do You Prefer?
You need to be on the same page with your realtor regarding communication. Selling a piece of land or house is a huge and delicate business that needs close follow-up. So, if you prefer communicating via phone calls, do not go for a realtor who wants to talk via text messages.
5. What Is Your Fee?
You can only hire a realtor you can afford, so asking about the charges is essential. Most realtors get paid with commission. For example, if you are selling your home, they may ask you to pay a certain percentage of the selling price.
However, don’t be too fast to choose someone who charges low fees. They might be less experienced or are lazy to look for buyers in the market. That takes too long to sell a house or piece of land. Instead, use a realtor with reasonable charges but a good market experience.
6. At What Price Range Do You Sell Homes in This Area?
Neighborhoods can have different cultures in terms of real estate. For example, some places are known for a particular class of people, young families or retirees. As a result, real estate agents are more likely to see the culture of the community in the place you sell your house.
Once you know the kind of community in your neighborhood, you can predict your buyers. If the agent has made sales in a specific location, working with them is helpful. Also, mentioning the prices of the previously sold houses helps determine the cost to set on your home.
7. Will You Help Me Prepare to Sell My House?
In your list of questions to ask a realtor when selling, ensure you include the preparations the house needs to sell. A good realtor should be willing to advise you on preparing your home for sale. These professionals also work with house buyers, and they know what they are looking for in a home.
Ask if you need to repaint your doors and walls, install a new floor or roof and get new kitchen appliances. Let them advise you on the house remodeling that will attract home buyers faster. It is also advantageous if the realtor knows other professionals like plumbers, electricians, and contractors.
8. What Marketing Strategies Do They Use?
A marketing plan is essential when selling your house. With the improvement of technology, realtors can use social media spaces like Instagram, Facebook, and their websites to market houses. They can also publish flyers and distribute them among friends or strategically place them along the roads.
Ensure you ask for examples of the realtor’s marketing strategy. For example, you can ask for previous flyers, social media posts, and other forms of advertising. Ensure the pictures are quality and they have a custom website for selling.
9. Ask For Reference
A realtor who has been in the home-selling business or is good at the job must have past clients. It would help if you asked for the contacts to get a third-party opinion. Through communications with past clients, you can ask about the agent’s strengths and weaknesses and the clients, experiences.
10. Do You Know a Lawyer?
There are many laws under selling and buying real estate properties, and breaking any of them could lead you into trouble. You, therefore, need a professional real estate lawyer to help you ensure you have the correct documents and follow the proper selling procedure. A realtor can help you find a lawyer.
Final Words
Once you decide to sell your home, prepare questions to ask the realtor when interviewing them. For example, you can ask them about their qualifications, market experience, marketing strategies, and past clients. If you have already packed your items ready to vacate the home, get extra storage space at Vaultra Storage.
100% CANADIAN OWNED AND OPERATED