Selling a house can be very stressful. Sellers may have to manage the tasks of keeping the home open for viewings, and wondering when or if it will sell.
How about choosing the right real estate agent to sell your home? It is crucial that you choose the right real estate agent to help you sell your home. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of real estate agents available in most American communities. You could even choose a discount realtor. A discount realtor does everything that a traditional broker does, but charges a smaller listing fee.
Each real estate agent is unique in their personality, selling methods, marketing strategies, and skill level. There are a few top-producing real estate agents in most communities. However, there are also a lot of average and bad agents.
What should you expect from a real estate agent when selling your house? If you have a home that is being listed by a realty agent, and the following 10 items are not being done, your agent may fall into the “lots of bad realty agents” category. These are 10 things to look out for if you are still unsure about your agent.
These 10 essential skills are vital for any real estate agent in order to sell your house quickly and effectively.
1. Honesty
Honesty and telling the truth are important traits that real estate agents should look for. It’s difficult to discern if someone is lying or being dishonest, but there are ways to tell.
Asking for contact information from five past sellers is a great way to determine if a realty agent is honest. Remember, however, that past sellers must consent for the agent to give their contact information.
After you have the information for five past clients, call or e-mail them and ask how they felt about working with the agent. Ask for testimonials to find out about the past clients of the agent.
Real estate agents who are unable to give past client information or testimonials of past clients usually don’t know what they’re telling you. If a real agent cannot give you testimonials or contact information for past clients, it could be a sign that they are not qualified to represent your property.
2. Professionalism
Most sellers assume this is a characteristic that all real estate agents possess. Unfortunately, it is not true. What are the signs that a real estate agent is professional? The image of a real estate agent can tell if they are professional.
A real estate agent selling a house should be professionally dressed and groomed. Real estate agents who are dressed in ripped jeans, a v-neck tee-shirt, and sneakers will not be taken seriously by prospective buyers.
Respect for others’ time is another important aspect of professionalism that a real estate agent must possess. A real estate agent who arranges private viewings of multiple homes can be very frustrated if a buyer shows up late, or even fails to show up. Sellers should expect the same from their agents.
If a first appointment has been made for a realty agent to visit your home, and they arrive 20 minutes late, it is likely that they lack professionalism. They don’t respect your time.
3. Demonstrable negotiation skills
A real estate agent representing a seller’s client has one job: to get the best price for the home. A real estate agent must know how to communicate with a buyer’s representative.
Without any discussion, a seller’s agent shouldn’t send a counter-offer to their client. What use is real estate agents if this is true? The job of the seller’s agent is to represent the seller.
There are always people who avoid conflict and confrontation in life. The seller will not get the maximum price for their house if this is the personality they have as a real estate agent.
4. Creativity
It is not easy to sell a house by simply putting up a sign and hoping for a full-price offer. Many real estate agents believe that this works. They are also called “post and pray realtors.” Creativity is an important skill for any agent when selling a house. Every home is unique, so each one must be marketed in its own way.
Real estate agents must use creativity in their descriptions, photo angles, and writing their ads.
Many people believe that selling real estate can be a career and that you can make a lot of money with little effort. Many real estate agents enter the industry without taking into account what it takes to sell real property.
Creativity is a key trait that many new agents fail to possess. It’s not as easy as just putting a sign outside a house and hoping it sells. These new agents are ultimately doomed to fail in their business.
5. Experience & Proven Results
Sellers make a common error when trying to sell a house. They don’t research past performance and their experience. A seller may choose a realty agent simply because they are their friend or their spouse.
You might be their friend, colleague, or spouse, but it is important to verify this before you choose them. It can be dangerous to choose the first real estate agent that you know.
Find out how many transactions they have handled in a given year when you are selling your house. Is it a full-time or part-time agent? Are they familiar with selling similar properties?
A full-time agent selling 100 homes per year, and who has been doing it for 5 years, has a greater chance of selling your house than a part-time agent who has only sold one home in 6 months. A real estate agent will be more proficient in handling specific situations if they have handled many transactions.
6. A great company and a great reputation
A bad reputation can do serious damage to your real estate agency or company. A large number of referrals and repeat business is a sign that the most successful agents in real estate will be highly successful.
A company or agent with a poor reputation will not be trusted. It is crucial to research the agents and real estate companies in your area before selling a house. You can easily check the online reviews and reputation of a realty company or agent to find out what they are like.
One real estate broker is the “go-to” person in most areas of the country. It doesn’t have to be a franchise or national company. You can find out the location of any for-sale signs by simply driving through your neighborhood.
Asking a realty agent for market share statistics is another great way to determine which company is best for local realty. These statistics should be available for every community within their area of responsibility. It is important to have a great agent and a great company in real estate.
7. A large network of business connections
Great professionals work with great professionals. It is important to determine what business and service connections a potential real estate agent has when selling a house.
- Are they able to recommend real estate lawyers?
- Are they able to recommend mortgage consultants to potential buyers?
- Are they part of a network for relocation?
- Are they able to recommend movers once the house has been sold?
Ask the agent to provide a list of preferred vendors or partners if you are interviewing! This list of business and service recommendations should be available in no time to a real estate agent!
8. Frequent communication
Communication is a common complaint from dissatisfied sellers. Selling a house is stressful. Not being communicated with by a real estate agent can make things even more stressful.
A seller who chooses a poor agent may wonder if they are selling real estate.
Asking a realty agent about their communication skills is a crucial interview question. Many real estate agents don’t feel the need for feedback after private showings.
This is a disservice to clients! It is crucial that the real estate agent gives feedback to the buyer’s agent in a timely manner. Although it may not always be possible, some buyer agents may not provide feedback. However, 95% of sellers should expect feedback from viewings on their property.
It is also important to learn how real estate agents communicate. You should find a real estate agent who can adapt to your preferred communication style. Text messaging should be used during business hours if it is preferred by the agent.
It’s possible that a real agent won’t accommodate your preferred method of communication.
9. Technology Using “Cutting Edge”
Real estate agents need to stay current with the latest technology. It is important to know which technology tools are used by real estate agents when selling a house.
Many real estate agents remain stuck in the “stone age” of technology and are far behind the times. It’s true, many real estate agents still don’t know how e-mail works and can still fax purchase orders!
Technology can help a realty agent become more efficient and spend more time selling houses. Tools such as Buffer, Dropbox, Evernote, and iCloud are all popular tools that can be used to help real estate agents. Real estate agents should have access to many of the most cutting-edge technology tools available!
Before you decide to hire a realty agent to sell your house, ask them about the quality and style of their photos. Is the agent able to take high-quality photos with a top-of-the-line camera?
High-quality photos are essential because so many people start their home search online. A buyer may not even walk through your front door if a realtor takes poor photos.
10. A Comprehensive Marketing Plan
Real estate agents with the best marketing plans and the most qualified staff cannot sell a home that is too expensive. Sellers often make the common mistake of overpricing their homes.
What does a comprehensive marketing strategy look like? Real estate agents need to be able to use both older and newer marketing techniques in their marketing plans.
You should expect “older” marketing tactics from a realty agent, such as direct mail, newspaper ads, and television advertising. You should first ask a realty agent if they use these types of marketing. It is expensive for many real estate agents so they won’t use it.
Asking a realty agent about the frequency of these marketing strategies is also a smart idea. Are they planning to publish the house in the newspaper every other month? Every other month on TV? This will eliminate frustration later on when your home isn’t in the paper every day.
You can expect “newer” marketing techniques from your real estate agent, such as a personal website, a blog, and active social media profiles. A prominent website is not just for real estate brokers, but it’s also important for their personal website. This will increase the chances that your home is found online.
A strong online presence is crucial for real estate agents, as most home buyers now search online.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Are you a real estate agent who is active on Pinterest?
- Are real estate agents active bloggers?
- Are they well-respected on Twitter?
You might want to reconsider choosing a realty agent to sell your house if they don’t have a website or a blog.
Conclusion
These are the 10 things you should expect of your agent when selling a house. These are the essential skills that a successful real estate agent must have in order to be able to build a long career. It’s highly unlikely that they will succeed in real estate.
