What to ask when picking a selling agent for real estate.

When you are going to sell your house, there are a few things that you need to do. First is, do you want to sell the house yourself or go with an agent?

If you go with an agent, when you pick someone you need to make sure that they are familiar with your area (and your neighborhood if possible). There are also some questions that he or she needs to be asked before you sign on the dotted line.

You need to know how the agent is going to advertise your house. Most real estate agents will list your house on the MLS and their own website, but you need to know if they are going to list in newspapers and through other means. Anyway that an agent will advertise will help your house get the most exposure.

When you do this, also make sure that they are putting pictures up. The more pictures the better. Think about it, if you want to move somewhere far away and you go to a website to look at houses, you will be more inclined to look at the houses with the most amount of pictures.

You should also make sure that the agent is showing you houses in your neighborhood that are accurate comparisons to your own home for the price. If you don’t have a number that you are willing to stick with as far as price is concerned, then seeing the comparable homes in your neighborhood will give you a much better idea as to what you’re going to get.

When it comes to money, you should also see what the agent’s commission is. Most agent’s commissions are not set in stone and if you have a buyer who is not represented by an agent, then the selling agent should cut his or her commissions accordingly.

Your agent should also know a lot about the area. In most cases, “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure” isn’t a good enough answer. For example, if someone comes in to buy your home and asks what school district that your house is in “I don’t know” won’t be acceptable. You need to make sure that the agent knows this information or has a way to get it quickly (via smart-phone or some other hand-held).

Remember, you are hiring them to do a job; just like if you were hiring someone to work for you in any establishment. You should check their references and make sure they are available when you need them. Past performance is key here also.

When checking references, try to get the numbers of the last few people who listed with the agent, not necessarily sold with him or her.

Also when you “interview” him or her, make sure that you know how they have done in the past. If they sold a lot of realty last year, ask how much they didn’t sell.