This is your single most important decision when you are prepared to find a buyer.  Agents are people and they all have various skills and methods to finding buyers that are right for your home.  Above the agent itself is the support and services that their broker office provides the agent to help assist in the process of providing great service and strategically sharing it with the buyers in the market. Florida Luxury Realty associates are given top notch training, are among the most skilled in the marketplace, and are provided the most aggressive marketing services for their listed properties.

Important Considerations When Choosing Your Real Estate Agent

Get to know the Real Estate agent you are considering for the job. While you may expect to find some big differences between brokerages, keep in mind that real estate agents are independent businesspeople. As such, you often find two agents from the same brokerage do things a bit differently. It’s worth spending the time to get to know the professionals whom you’re asking to handle the sale of one of your largest assets. Ask whether the person you’re considering is a full-time agent, who will be your main point of communication, and ask for references from past clients. This may be the largest transaction of your life so make it a business decision. It is best to hire good representation from day one.

Get to know the Brokerage Firm.
Although the brokerage you go with isn’t as important as the real estate agent with whom you choose to work, there are certain factors that may influence your decision. Here are a few questions to consider: How long have they been in business? What are their hours of operation? (They should be open seven days a week for your potential buyer.) Are they local and reputable? What is their market share of like-kind homes to yours?

Understand the Marketing Plan Creating the marketing plan is one of the most important things your listing agent will do for you. It should identify who’s the most likely buyer for your home, how your buyer usually shops and how your buyer will be targeted. Depending on the kind of home you have and where it’s located, you may want ads in the paper, print ads in real estate magazines, open houses, mailings, Internet advertising or a combination of these marketing efforts. Your listing agent should make information about your house available seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. By the way: get the marketing plan in writing.

Establish how you will get updates on the market and feedback from showings.
One of the biggest complaints consumers have is that they don’t hear from their real estate agents often enough. Ask your agent how you’ll be informed about the market in general and how many times your home was viewed in the online marketing services and feedback from buyers’ real estate agents.

Stay in the driver's seat.
A good real estate agent knows the local real estate market and stays on top of the most recent technology to market your home effectively. A great agent knows how to show you information about the local market and the most recent trends in marketing so you’re in a position to make informed decisions about your home. If your real estate agent makes recommendations and you’d like more information, just ask. For example, “I understand your recommendation. On what information are you basing that recommendation?” Never be afraid to ask why something is or is not being done to sell your home. You are the client, and you are in charge.

Be Leery.
Be cautious of Realtors who tell you everything you want to hear. I would rather be told the truth versus what I wanted to hear only to find out the truth later. Some Realtors are total “yes” people and lead you believe what you want to believe just to get your listing.

Keep these tips in mind and they will help you make a wise choice in hiring a Realtor. Selling a home is not rocket science but you can waste a lot of time hiring the wrong agent. The way home prices have been falling listing with the wrong agent can cost you a large amount of money.

Ask about commission and make all considerations of factors before making your decision.
Many consumers who are shopping for an agent make the mistake of comparing them solely on the basis of what they charge for commission. For example, if Rick Realtor charges 8% and Sally Seller charges 3%, you may decide Sally is a much better option. But what if Rick pays the buyer’s agent 4%, and Sally pays the buyer’s agent just 1%? What if Sally is a part-time agent and her office is only open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon until 3:00? Is it still a “good deal”? Make sure you understand how long the listing agent wants to have you under contract, how much he or she will pay the buyer’s agent, and what will be done for you from the time the home is listed until the home clears escrow.

More questions?
There are certainly many other questions that we are often asked when shopping an agent to hire as your personal representative in the marketing, negotiations, and selling of one of your largest assets. For further assistance, please take this opportunity and contact us.

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