{"id":21118,"date":"2017-03-21T09:54:49","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T09:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garbuttdumas.ca\/?p=21118"},"modified":"2024-02-25T13:22:31","modified_gmt":"2024-02-25T21:22:31","slug":"10-great-questions-to-ask-a-realtor-when-selling-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.garbuttdumas.ca\/2017\/03\/21\/10-great-questions-to-ask-a-realtor-when-selling-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Great Questions to Ask a Realtor When Selling Your Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

A great Realtor can make the difference between a good or bad experience when you\u2019re selling your home. But before you sign a listing contract, here are 10 great questions to ask a Realtor when selling your home.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

1. How many properties have you sold? How many did you sell last year?<\/b>
\nMost people instantly focus on years in the business, but your Realtor\u2019s sales volume is just as important; one agent can sell as many homes in two years than others do in 10. A Realtor with a healthy volume of sales in the local market in the past year is likely more in tune with that market.
\nBut don\u2019t just focus on the numbers; you should also feel comfortable with your Realtor.<\/p>\n

2. What types of properties have you sold lately?<\/b>
\nThis will help you determine your Realtor\u2019s focus and performance, whether they\u2019ve had success selling similar types of products, and in your area. Ask for proven results, such as the average number of days their listings are on the market, the ratio of their list prices to actual sale prices. What about listings that aren\u2019t selling; a Realtor who openly discusses their failures demonstrates honesty.<\/p>\n

3. Who is the buyer and where are they coming from?<\/b>
\nYour Realtor\u2019s knowledge and experience with the local market will help them market your home to potential buyers and highlight the features that will be important to them. It\u2019s important for your Realtor to know their target market for your home, whether it\u2019s young families, downsizers, locals or buyers from out of town.<\/p>\n

4. What is your marketing strategy for my home?<\/b>
\nThis is where the rubber hits the road, and your Realtor will earn their commission. Your home is likely your largest investment; it needs to be marketed well from the beginning if you\u2019re going to realize a good return on that investment. It\u2019s important your home presents well<\/a> and buyers are aware of it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In a hot market, just putting up a lawn sign might sell your home, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the right strategy to get you the right price. Nice photos, a posting on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and Open Houses<\/a> are a minimal expectation; but what else can your Realtor offer? Creative campaigns that include online marketing, an active presence on social media, print advertising and staging can gain extra exposure for your home.<\/p>\n

5. What separates you from your competitors?<\/b>
\nHere\u2019s where you\u2019re really asking \u201cwhy should I hire you?\u201d There\u2019s no shortage of Realtors out there to sell your home, but what is your Realtor offering to separate them from that pack. Their marketing ability is important, but so are honesty and trust.<\/p>\n

6. What is your recommended listing price for my home, and why?<\/b>
\nYou want an understanding of how your Realtor evaluates properties. It should be by more than guesswork, or intuition.
\nTheir evaluation of your property should be supported by recent comparable sales in the area. A more detailed evaluation could include listings that didn\u2019t sell, and current active listings that you\u2019re competing against.
\nIf your home is difficult to evaluate because there\u2019s been no recent comparable sales against which to measure it, a creative Realtor will look at similar properties outside the neighbourhood, or in similar neighbourhoods. Or they could use a \u201creplacement cost” approach where they calculate the land value plus the cost of rebuilding the actual home.
\nYour Realtor\u2019s pricing strategy<\/a> for your home should align with your needs. If the market is hot and you have to sell quickly or you have specific requirements for the offer, such as a specific closing date, we typically recommend a lower price as it will generate more interest, more offers and cleaner offers that meet your terms. If the market is slow, or you have a unique property that could limit the pool of potential buyers, it may be best to price your home higher with room to negotiate; trying to set a price to spark a bidding war could be risky is these circumstances.<\/p>\n

7. How do you, or your team, operate?<\/b>
\nYou want to know your Realtor is going to be there for you when you need them. It\u2019s important to understand how communication will be handled, and who will be your primary contact. You want to know who will be showing your property and who is going to be handling the negotiations with buyers; you don\u2019t want any surprises.<\/p>\n

8. How much do you charge?<\/b>
\nCommission fees range depending on the Realtor and the Company. Some Low Cost Brokerages and Realtors may offer lower commission fees, but leading and experienced Realtors often don\u2019t.  There are many different types of fee structures out there, from flat fee listing services to discount brokerages to full service brokerages. Whichever you choose, you should establish how much they charge, and how much of that goes to the buyer\u2019s agent. Make sure the commission for the buyer\u2019s agent is in line with the rates prevalent in your area.<\/p>\n

9. What if I\u2019m not happy with your service?<\/b>
\nThis question will help you determine a Realtor’s level of commitment to you and how strongly they believe in their ability to get you a good result.
\nIf, for some reason, you\u2019re unhappy with their service, you need to know if they\u2019ll release you from the listing contract and how. There are two ways to terminate a listing: Cancellation vs. Unconditional Release. The former has restrictions that could affect your ability to move on; the latter releases you freely with no further obligation. A common listing contracts run for 3-4 months, but contracts for luxury properties can run up to 12 months.<\/p>\n

10. What else do I need to know?<\/b>
\nOne of the questions to ask a Realtor when selling your home should be open-ended. That gives them a chance to highlight a unique service they might offer, like staging, or to speak to areas you might have overlooked. That extra little tidbit of information could be the tipping point to your decision.<\/p>\n

Bonus\u2026<\/b>
\nRequesting references is one of the questions to ask a Realtor when selling your home that is sometimes overlooked. But keep in mind, if you are given references they\u2019ll likely all be good. To get a more complete picture of your Realtor, do a little online research prior to your first meeting. See what properties they have recently sold, then ask for references from those clients specifically. If they have online and social media presence, see what people are saying about them, check their reviews and how they engage with others. See what they are doing to stay in front of buyers on a daily basis.
\nThere\u2019s no general rule for forging a great relationship with your Realtor. It\u2019s all about personal preference and trust.
\nYour Realtor should be responsive to your needs; they should be patient when you need to take a little time, and proactive when you\u2019re anxious. They should be a good listener who will offer advice and help find solutions.<\/p>\n

More helpful blogs for sellers<\/strong>
\n10 Reasons to Hire a Realtor<\/a>
\nBest Time of Year to Sell a Home<\/a>
\nGet Buyers to Fall in Love With Your Home<\/a>
\n7 Tips to Help Your Home Look Great in Photos<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A great Realtor can make the difference between a good or bad experience when you\u2019re selling your home. But before you sign a listing contract, here are…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":57097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[891,892,890,887],"tags":[125,126,129,131,138,141,494,496,506,514,518,536,626,643,798,811],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":891,"label":"Buyers"},{"value":892,"label":"Sellers"},{"value":890,"label":"Videos"},{"value":887,"label":"Your 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