When you decide it is time to sell your St. Louis home, one of the very best methods to keep your home sale on track and take the pressure off your shoulders is to hire an experienced, knowledgeable, and professional real estate agent
When you sell your home, you want to get the best possible price on your property and find the most qualified buyer. Marketing of your home, setting property showings, negotiations of the contract and scheduling everything to get your property closed, all needs to be dealt with professionally and in a short time frame. You may not wish to deal with all that on your own.
With so many different real estate brokerages and agents in the St. Louis Metropolitan area, it can be difficult to know whom to trust. Here are some steps to take and questions you might want to ask potential real estate agents before choosing one to list your house.
Get referrals from people who have actually worked with the agent.
Word-of-mouth recommendations are terrific, but make sure that person has actually used the referred real estate agent to sell a house. A person who has used an agent in the past can precisely describe the agent’s quality of work, how they communicated information to the seller and how they treated the sellers and the other individuals involved in the sale of the home.
Interview a minimum of three real estate agents
Just as you would get more than one bid if you were remodeling your bathroom or building a room addition, you also need to talk with more than one, and preferably at least three, real estate agents face to face to see whether you feel comfortable with them. The fact is, having a license doesn’t make that person a real estate expert. Many sellers make the mistake of going with the first agent they meet or hear about and then find out later that they are just not easy to work with.
Take a look at productivity and education
There can be a huge difference between agents’ productivity. Some agents have a lot of experience and some have not sold a home in years. Do some online research to find out an agent’s qualifications and to make sure the agents you are considering are licensed to sell real estate in Missouri. One thing to check when you go to an agent’s website is the number of their current listings and sold listings.
There are professional designations that real estate agents can earn from such trade organizations as the National Association of Realtors and other groups. Many good real estate agents don’t have these designations, but those who do obtain additional training show a commitment to knowing the best industry practices and providing first-class service.
Prepare your list of questions
Be prepared with a list of questions when you interview potential listing agents. You want to find out if the agent is experienced and qualified, not just to market your home, but to get it sold in a timely fashion and for the best possible price. Ask each real estate agent:
- What are some comparables? If the agent does not bring a list of comparable homes that have sold in your area, you should be concerned. A good agent should have a well-rounded comparative market analysis (CMA) showing what listings are currently on the market and the homes that have sold in the past 3 to 6 months that are similar to your home in size and features. Comparables, also called “comps,” are used for determining the value of your home and deciding on a listing price.
- What is my house worth and why? You may have an asking price in mind, but your agent might not concur. It’s important to have an agent that will listen to you and support your ideas but is also willing to tell you the truth. The right agent will challenge what you think your house is worth and try to set realistic likelihoods of what will actually happen.
- How will you market my home? A good real estate agent will use a wide variety of strategies to market your home to attract the most qualified buyers. They might place your listing on their website, as well as the brokerage’s website, have social media campaigns, send out mailings, do open houses, provide virtual tours, use expert photographers and/or hold broker tours for buyers’ agents (especially for high-end houses). Request examples of marketing materials and check out the agents’ websites to see how they market their other listings.
- Are you a full-time real estate agent? This is an important question because selling real estate requires a full-time effort. The real estate agent you hire should not be hindered in selling your home because he or she is working a full-time job some where else. Also ask the agent how long they have been selling real estate and how many listings they have recently sold.
- What is your commission rate? Some agents might be able to negotiate their commission, but not always. You are paying a professional to sell your home. Ask the commission question last, but do make sure you know how much you’ll be charged for the real estate agent’s services– and what services that will include.
The next steps to hiring a listing agent.
When you have found the real estate agent you like, the next step is to sign a listing agreement in which you consent to a certain length of service at a set commission rate. Usually, listing agreements will be for 90 to 120 days, assuming it will typically take about 40 to 60 days from the listing phase to get an accepted offer. Of course, this could take a shorter or longer time, depending on the St. Louis Metro area market conditions.
Now that you have hired the right real estate agent to sell your home, let the professional handle the rest. Do make sure to regularly communicate with your agent so you will always know what’s going on with your listing.