When selling your home or property, one of your most important goals is to find the right real estate agent.
Aggressive agents and sellers who work well with those agents sell more quickly than those who have poor agents or are sold by the owner. Once you have found an agent you trust, remember these five tips to work well with that professional.
1. Understand How Agents Are Paid.
Real estate agents are paid on a commission basis. This means that your agent is highly motivated to sell your home. If your home does not sell, the agent does not get paid. Understanding this will help give you peace of mind that your agent is working hard to sell your home.
2. Be Punctual in meetings with your real estate agent.
Your agent likely has many other clients and homes for sale. When you have an appointment with the agent, try to be on time and communicate with the agent if something unexpected comes up. Remember, your agent’s time, just like yours, is valuable, and the time you keep the agent waiting is when the agent could be used to sell your home.
3. Be Clear in Your Expectations regarding the Real Estate services provided.
Selling a home can involve a lot of waiting, so you need to ask how much contact you expect from the agent.
- What do you want your agent to do to inform you of your home’s sales process? Be clear about what you expect.
- Do you want regular updates via email or text? Then, ask for these upfront so the agent can be understanding. Your agent wants to exceed your expectations but cannot do that if you are unclear.
4. Trust Your Agent’s Pricing Instincts and Ask for real estate data to support it
When you hire an agent, you should hire one you trust to steer you in the right direction.
Once it comes to pricing the home, your agent will provide recommendations, but the final decision is yours. Don’t ignore these recommendations. Doing so may mean that your home sits without any interested buyers, or you may lose money by pricing your home too low. Trust the agent to provide the expert advice you need.
5. Ask Questions that only a local real estate agent will know the answer to.
Throughout the home sale process, you will have many procedures and forms that you may not be thoroughly familiar with. Don’t feel embarrassed to ask plenty of questions. Never sign a document you don’t understand. Your agent is happy to explain but may not realize that you don’t understand a form or procedure he works with daily.
Working with a real estate agent should be a pleasant experience as your agent works to market and quickly sell your home aggressively. With these tips, you can make the most out of this critical relationship.