Questions to Ask When Choosing a REALTOR
- 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.)
- What designations do
you hold? (Designations, such as GRI and CRS�, which require that
real estate professionals take additional, specialized real estate
training, are held by only about one-quarter of real estate
practitioners.)
- How many homes did you
and your company sell last year?
- How many days did it
take you to sell the average home? How did that compare to the overall
market?
- How close to the
initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final sale prices?
- What types of specific
marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my home? (Look for
someone who has aggressive, innovative approaches, not just someone who's
going to put a sign in the yard and hope for the best.)
- 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. A good practitioner will explain the agency relationship
to you and describe the rights of each party. It's also possible to insist
that the practitioner represent you exclusively.)
- Can you recommend
service providers who can assist me in obtaining a mortgage, making
repairs on my home, and other things I need done? (Keep in mind here that
real estate professionals should generally recommend more than one
provider and should tell you if they receive any compensation from any
provider.)
- 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, or assistance with technology, can help a real estate
professional sell your home.)
- 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 real estate practitioner�fast
sales, service, etc.�and determine how closely the practitioner's goals
and business emphasis mesh with your own.)
- How will you keep me
informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently? Using what
media? (Again, this is not a question with a correct answer, but that one
reflects your desires. Do you want updates twice a week or don't want to
be bothered unless there's a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or
a personal visit?)
- Could you please give
me the names and phone numbers of your three most recent clients?
