Choosing Your Real Estate Advocate

The right real estate professional can guide you through the entire selling process from start to finish.  Remember you will be spending a lot of time talking to and working with your chosen real estate advocate, so make sure your choice is someone you trust, someone you can collaborate with, and someone who will be there for you when the going gets tough.

Here are just a few things that your real estate agent will be helping you with:

  1. Provide you with up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.
  2. Market your property to other real estate agents and the public. We will recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. We will market your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. We will act as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service and other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc.
  3. We will strategize when, where and how to advertise your property. It isn’t just putting the home up for sale online. The National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2015 show that 33% of real estate sales are the result agents presenting the home, 9% of buyers found their home via yard or open house signage, 6% found the home through a friend, relative, or neighbor. When we market a property, we take all of these avenues into consideration.
  4. Help you objectively evaluate every buyer’s proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing — a lot of possible pitfalls. We will help you write and negotiate a legally binding, win-win agreement with the best chances for success.
  5. Help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. We will help you objectively resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).

The following are some questions to ask any agents you are considering working with:

  1. Are you a REALTOR®?
  2. Do you work full-time?
  3. How long have you been representing buyers and sellers in this area?
  4. Do you represent the buyer or the seller?
  5. What are the fees involved?
  6. How many homes have you sold in this area?
  7. Do you have a system for marketing and selling my home?
  8. Will you put my home on the MLS?
  9. Do you have strong relationships with other agents and REALTORS® in our area and have a marketing plan that involves them as well?
  10. What will you do to make sure we price the home so we get enough interest but don’t leave any money on the table?
  11. What are you going to do to keep me up to date while the home is listed?
  12. Can you help me with local attorneys and home inspectors?

We would be happy to answer all of these questions for you and we are positive you will be pleased with our answers. Contact us to learn more about how we can work together to find the home that is right for you!