Selecting a realtor to sell your home.

  • The agent brings the market to you. The market decides the price.
  • The right realtor is the one who has his finger on the subtle fluctuations of the market and who knows how to get you the best possible contract for your particular situation.
  • The right realtor is NOT the one who promises you the highest price just to get you to list with them!
  • Many of the same questions, hesitations and strategies connected with seeking professional assistance in any field, whether you are trying to find a doctor, dentist, lawyer or accountant, come into play when you’re selecting a real estate agent.

Things to consider and some red flags.

Recommendations - from trusted friends, relatives and other professionals are a good place to start as such people will have much the same standards and expectations that you have.

The Realtor's Reputation - Not just the one they market but their actual reputation in the street amongst friends and other professionals who may know of them.

Professionalism and Knowledgeability - Are they professional and knowledgeable and do they share their knowledge in an honest and straightforward manner? Do they have a stable of other professionals they can recommend for the other services you may need during this process, ie lawyers, mortgage brokers, building inspectors, environmental consultants etc?

Advertising and Marketing - Do you like the way the realtor currently does their marketing? Your home will be promoted in much the same way.  Is their marketing more about them than about the homes they are promoting? If so it indicates their priorities. A point worth noting.

Open houses - are a good way to meet a variety of realtors and see how they handle themselves and how they present the homes they are marketing. It also gives you an insight into their personalities, which is important.

Get several market evaluations - as these give you a chance to assess the realtors’ expertise, style and again, their priorities and focus.

Check on experience and productivity - not just how long they have been realtors and how many sales they make each year but how quickly the homes sold and how close to the original list price.

Does the realtor work with an agency - that has a national and international network. This factor may sometimes be important and is worth keeping in mind.

Be wary of realtors - that suggest they can get an unreasonably high price. They frequently come to you for price reductions after the home is listed and in the meantime, you have lost the initial impact and attention that a well-priced property always receives when it first hits the market. This means you have likely lost the opportunity to get top dollar from a number of interested buyers.

Last but not least - do you have that intuitive gut feeling that your chosen realtor will do their utmost to guide you well and put your best interests before their own, especially as you may well be buying a home through them as well as selling your current home.

If you would like to include me on your list of potential realtors, I would be most honoured to have the chance to work for you. Please contact me at your convenience.

Best wishes

David