10 Questions Every Seller Should Ask

When choosing a Realtor, be sure to ask these questions.

1. Are you a Fulltime Professional Real Estate Agent?  This is very important! Selling your home is one of the largest transactions of your life. Why would you trust it with someone that dabbles in real estate?

2. How long have you been in real estate?  Experience is good, but make sure the agent is staying “up to date” on an ever changing industry.

3. What price do you think my home should sell for given the current market? This will allow the agent to display their knowledge of the market including average market time to get your house sold.

4. Can you give me a Comparative Marketing Analysis (CMA) for my area? This should contain listing and sale prices for recently sold properties that will help determine the sales price for your home.

5. What are you going to do to sell my house? The listing presentation should include a detailed marketing plan that includes samples of Websites, print magazines, virtual tours and local publications. 

6. How will you get paid?  In most areas the commission is paid by the seller. Some agents also charge additional administration fees, be sure to ask this up front.

7. How often will you contact me to keep me informed of progress? Some agents call weekly, biweekly or monthly. Some prefer to stay in contact by email. You should let the agent know which level of contact that you feel most comfortable with. In slower markets, less contact may be sufficient.

8. How many other clients do you have? Busier agents are usually more efficient.

9. Do you have a performance guarantee that will allow me to terminate our listing if I’m not satisfied with your service? If an agent does not have a performance guarantee you might not be able to terminate your listing if you’re dissatisfied. All listings are technically the property of the Broker. You need to know up front if the Broker will release you in the event that you are not satisfied.

10. Are you a Realtor? A Realtor is more than a sales associate. They are a member of a national organization that holds its members to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.