Selling a home in WA, ID, OR, or CO is a huge deal, and one that can be a significant financial process that can affect your next home purchase. After all, the more money that you can get for your home, the more you’ll have to put towards the purchase of a new property.
Considering this, you want to make sure that your home is appropriately marketing to the right target buyers and that you negotiate competitively and fairly with a buyer to realize a successful real estate transaction. And having a real estate agent help you out can help ensure that you get started on the right foot.
The work of a real estate agent can make or break how a prospective buyer feels about the property. Now that it’s time to sell your home, you want to find the right agent to market it.
How do you find someone you can trust who will make you feel confident they can sell your home quickly for the best price possible? Here are the questions you should be asking.
1. Are They Licensed?
This one is the easy one. You should be working with a member of the National Association of Realtors. It is also important that you check whether they have any complaints on record about their practices. You can check with your state’s real estate department as well.
Agents should be licensed in their state whether it’s Washington, Idaho, Oregon, or Colorado -which will ensure that they have the proper education, training, and qualifications required to follow the laws in your area and to provide you with the services you deserve. So make sure that you are working with a licensed agent before you plant that For Sale on your front lawn.
2. Are They Successful?
To get an idea of how much experience the agent has, ask how many transactions they’ve completed in their career. More specifically, ask the agent how many sales they’ve completed, as you want the agent to have some experience completing the type of transaction you are involved in.
But a successful real estate agent is more than the number of sales they have completed, so you should also find out the average difference between listing and selling prices on their most recent sales. This will give you an idea of whether or not they are keen on choosing the right listing price, as well as how good they are getting as closing to asking price as possible.
If an agent is closing deals at far below the original asking price consistently, that might be a red flag.
3. How Busy Are They?
Make sure you ask in advance how often the agent will contact you and how they will keep you informed of potential buyers. While a busy agent might signify how in-demand they are and how much others want to work with them, an agent who is too busy with many clients may not be able to provide you with the attention you need to successfully sell your home in Seattle or Denver.
If you’re going to be working with one of their associates at times, you should know.
4. How Will They Communicate?
When you’re on the prowl for a buyer for your home in Portland or Boise, you want to make sure that you’ll be in close contact with your agent. Considering this, you want to find out exactly what type of lines of communication will be open with your agent. For instance, will you be communicating via telephone, email, text, or other means? Further, how long do they typically take to respond to your queries if you have to leave them a message?
In addition, you want to know if there will be other team members that will be a part of the process, or if you will only be dealing with your particular agent. For instance, will they have an assistant or other agent that they’ve teamed up with helping with your transaction?
These are things you’ll want to know when you start working with a real estate agent.
5. How Familiar Are They With Your Neighborhood?
A real estate agent is not just marketing your home – they’re marketing your entire community. If they have closed nearby sales before, they are familiar with the selling points of the neighborhood as well as the right price range for properties similar to yours.
Plus, if they have experience with your area, then they may have a network of other agents with buyers who are interested in buying a home in your location, which can help draw more eyes to your home and hopefully find a buyer sooner rather than later.
6. How Much Commission Do They Expect?
Normally, sellers are responsible for paying the listing agent, as well as the buyer agent. Typically, you will pay around 6 percent of the sale price, which will then be split between the seller and buyer agents. How that commission is then split is determined by the brokerage(s) involved.
If you find an agent that offers their services for a low percentage, that might be very attractive to you. But you should know why. Are they just trying to stay competitive? Or do they expect you to do a large share of the marketing yourself?
Different agents might do more or less work than others, and their commissions may reflect that. So always be sure to find out exactly what your agent will be doing for you and what their commissions cover before you sign a client agreement.
7. Do They Have A Plan?
The real estate agent should be able to tell you exactly which marketing techniques they would use for your home and how they plan to promote the listing. They should come to the table with ideas from the very beginning.
Now that you have a clearer idea of the basics, use the internet to find trusted real estate agents in your area. Then pick up the phone and begin your journey toward becoming a successful home seller today.
Ready to Apply For a Mortgage in WA, OR, CO, or ID?
Do you have questions about home loans? Are you ready to apply for a mortgage to buy a home? If so, Sammamish Mortgage can help. We are a local mortgage company from Bellevue, Washington serving the entire state, as well as Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado. We offer many mortgage programs to buyers all over the Pacific Northwest. Contact us today with any questions you have about mortgages.
