Picking A Realtor
You've decided to list your home for sale, congratulations! The next step in the process is the most important: Pick a Realtor. Sounds easy enough, right? You quickly remember that your second cousin's friend from college is a realtor. You could give her a call. Or perhaps you call the Realtor who has the bus advertisement, because he obviously know what he's doing, right? Wrong! Selecting a Realtor is a big choice and due diligence is necessary for a positive outcome. Here are my top 3 steps to selecting your Realtor.
- Neighborhood expert. I recommend you select a realtor who is a neighborhood expert in your area. Having a Realtor who knows the ins and outs of a neighborhood, the past sold, upcoming listing and property values will be extremely helpful to you during the sales process.
- Strong marketing plan. Regardless if its a buyers market or sellers market, a Realtor needs to have a strong marketing plan in place beside putting the listing on MLS and waiting for the phone to ring. Whether that professional photos, drone footage, custom videos, 3D walk-throughs, social media, print, real estate networking group, well known publishers, etc. you as the client what to know exactly what your realtor is going to do for you. Ask those questions up front so you know what to expect.
- Someone you enjoy. During the selling (or buying) process, you will be in close communication with your Realtor, so you want to make sure it's someone you enjoy. Cringing every time you see that person's name appear on your phone is a terrible feeling, so lets avoid that. Making sure that you like their communication style/frequency, value their guidance, respect their insight and most importably you and your Realtor have an understanding of the expectations.
Follow these three steps and you should be in good hands!
