Most Agents who sell Plano homes
or any DFW homes don't want you
to know they work part time because they know it will reflect negatively on
them. Ask the agent how many hours a week they spend working real estate and if
they have another job. Does the agent
have a professional appearance? The agent you choose will be a reflection of
your property. An unprofessional appearance or attitude will turn off potential
buyers. How long has the agent been involved in real estate sales? It's an
important question, but don't get hung up on the answer to much. Hard working new agents can be just as
effective as a well established agent.
Does the agent belong to
all of the areas multiple listing services? The more places your listing shows
up, the better exposure it will get. Your agent's first choice will be to sell
the property herself, but promoting it to every available agent within the area
is a must from the very beginning. A
single agent might be working with ten qualified buyers at any given time, but
your property won't be suitable to all potential buyers. Listing the property in the MLS brings in
every licensed agent, drastically increasing your buyer pool. Does the agent specialize in Dallas foreclosures? If so, you probably don’t want them as the
selling representative for your house.
There are many other
questions you should ask the agent during your interview. Here are some good examples:
·
What types of marketing will you do for the property?
·
How many of your recent listings have sold during their initial
listing period? How many listings expired without a sale?
·
Do you have special training that goes above and beyond what's
required to be licensed?
·
Will you hold an open houses?
·
Will you provide marketing materials to leave in the house for
agents and buyers?
·
Will you send flyers or postcards to local agents?
·
How often will you call me with showing reports and feedback?
Ask as many questions as
possible that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no response. An open ended
question forces the agent to talk about her ideas for your property, and many
of the responses will trigger more questions from you. Always ask an agent for
referrals from satisfied seller clients. If the agent cannot provide them,
something may be wrong and you should probably move on.
A
Marketing Plan
The agent must be able to
demonstrate to you an aggressive marketing plan. Does the agent or firm have a
good internet presence? Will the agent do a virtual tour of your property? How
does the firm stack up against other firms that are marketing on a local level?
You should have a good feel for the answers to all of those questions based on
the agent search you did when you bought the property. After you decide on an
agent monitor them to make sure that the promises your agent made turn into
actions. If the marketing plan isn't implemented, ask the agent to make the
necessary corrections. If they make no corrections ask them to release you from
the listing contract. Remember that the firm’s broker in charge is your agent and
she should be notified if your listing agent does not follow through their
promises.
Open
Houses?
Most open houses held for
buyers do not actually sell the house being held open. A better type of open
house is one held for other real estate agents because these are the people who
are in control of showing your property to buyers. At the very least, your
agent should have a showing for all other agents within his office, but holding
a second open house for all agents within the MLS is also highly recommended.
They won't all attend, but everyone who does will tend to remember your
property when a suitable buyer comes around.
Ask as many questions as
you need to determine which agent is best fit for your needs. Keep in mind that your final agent selection
will require some gut feeling on your part. Personalities always come into
play, so you should choose an agent based in part on the knowledge that you can
get along with that agent during the listing period. There are plenty of good
agents out there available to you. Don't choose someone who you cannot stand
dealing with, because there's surely someone who can offer good services and a
good working relationship.
