What to LOOK for in an Agent when Selling Your Home
It used to be that choosing a listing agent was a pretty easy task. Choosing a real estate agent has never been as important as Cobb County, Georgia inventory levels have swelled to historic highs and home pricing has become a lot more competitive. This decision should NOT be based on:
- The fact they charge the lowest commission as discounted service most likely leads to disappointing service. Ask what their marketing plan entails as discounted service normally leads to less marketing!
- A friend of a friend knows the person and has “heard” they sell a lot of real estate. Ask for facts and figures about the person such as how many years and how much real estate they have sold in their career and last year.
Here are a couple of things that you should be looking for and expect from them when choosing someone to sell what is most likely your largest investment in Georgia:
- An internet Presence That Google & Yahoo love: Did you know that 84% of home buyers will begin their search on the internet? Before you choose an agent, take the time and see THEIR website presence, not the corporate website presence. A high internet presence results from aggressive advertising and networking on the internet that often results in thousands more for a home or owner. Search some of the phrases that a home buyer would be most likely to use such as: Marietta, GA real estate, Cobb County real estate, luxury homes in Cobb County.
- Local Market Knowledge & information: A knowledgeable real estate agent has never been so important as competitively pricing a home is the most important part of your home’s marketing plan. The longer a home sits on the market the more “stale” it gets and statistics show that this will lead to a lower sales price.
- Advertising that buyers see: It is amazing to see how many agents that think it is still acceptable to put only one photo of a home on the MLS. A home must have the maximum amount of photos possible that help highlight all the positives of a home. More exposure comes from more pictures. Simply put, the more pictures, the more someone is going to be interested.
- Honesty: Selling your home in Georgia is a partnership between you and your agent. Your agent should be wiling to tell you the good as well as the bad in regards to buyer feedback and what improvements need to be done before selling your home. If a person is only telling you the good, then you won’t have the opportunity to improve and thereby might continue to lose potential buyers to the same problem.
If you are planning on selling your home, then I implore you to interview at least three agents before making a choice. Like any relationship, it is more then just the business aspect, but the personal aspect as well. This is most likely your largest investment; you should feel comfortable personally and professionally with the person representing you.
