Questions to Ask When Searching For A Realtor
All your life, you have seen For Sale signs in front yards, and there’s always a Realtor’s name, and in these modern times, a photo of them. How did the seller decide on that Realtor? Did they open the paper to the classifieds, close their eyes, and point to a spot in the Homes for Sale section? That’s very unlikely, and it may take a few interviews, but you and your Realtor should be a good fit.
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Any friends that have recently bought or sold their home can get you started on a reference list. Ask them what they liked most/least, and what they would do differently.
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Look to the internet for initial research. Go down your list and search for each Realtor’s listings, blogs, and testimonials. Record contact information of Realtors you’re most interested in.
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Call each Realtor and set up an appointment to meet for a Q&A session.
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Before your first meeting, familiarize yourself with real estate professionals terms, as each title has a different job.
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Have this list of questions to ask on hand at every meeting:
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- How long have you been in real estate?
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- Are you in the real estate business full-time or part-time?
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- Do have more buying or selling experience?
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- How many homes have you sold in the past twelve months?
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- Do you specialize in any certain neighborhoods or locations?
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- How many clients are you working with now?
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- What’s the best mode of communication for you?
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- Do you utilize the internet and social media to list your homes for sale?
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- What makes you stand out in our local market?
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- What should I know as a seller/buyer?
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- A good Realtor welcomes these questions and will be honest with you when they answer them.
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- Don’t be surprised if the real estate pro interviews you as well! They need to know about you as much as you need to know about them.
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- Meeting with potential Realtors help you see their personalities, and having good chemistry is essential to your Realtor-client relationship. You will be spending a lot of time with each other.
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- References with contact information are essential and can help you seal the deal with the right real estate professional for you and your needs.
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- If the Realtor is new in the field, don’t count inexperience against them. They should be eager to add your sale to their portfolio and want to offer you a great experience.
Once again, you will be spending a great deal of time with your Realtor, on the phone as well as in person. Rismedia has more qualities and information for Realtor-hunting before the home hunting begins. You will be sharing a lot of personal information with them, and a good relationship is vital to the sale or purchase of your home. All your research could lead to a long-term relationship, not just a real estate agent.
Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins and Carol Arnott Robbins.
