10 Important Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Real Estate Agent

Now that it is February, people are starting to get prepared to put their house up for sale. One of the first things to do is select a real estate agent to work with. Many sellers know a number of agents , and will compare a few before deciding whom to work with. Others will decide to sell their home themselves (For Sale By Owner).

As a home is frequently a person’s most expensive asset, this is an important step. Listed below are the top 10 most important questions to ask when interviewing a real estate agent, and why.

1. How long have you been a real estate agent? This may or may not be an important question. If the real estate agent is new to the business but has a great team they work with, they may be better than the real estate agent who has been in business twenty years and hasn’t updated how they do their business.
2. What do you know about the market in my area? Every professional real estate agent should know market and neighborhood statistics. If the agent can’t give up to date information on the neighborhood, or the market in general, this may be the sign that they didn’t do their homework before their appointment.  
3. What is the average length of time it takes you to sell a home and what is your list price to sales price ratio? Sellers should want a Real estate agent who sells their listings quickly. In general, the faster a home sells, the closer to the asking price a seller can expect. 
4. Where will my home be advertised? Sellers should demand the most exposure possible for their listing. Gone are the days of putting a For Sale sign in the front yard and an ad in the paper. Now, the majority of buyers are looking for their new house online. Each real estate company will have their own website to advertise your property, but you also want to be prominently displayed on the big websites such as realtor.com, Zillow, and Yahoo!.
5. May I see a samples of your marketing material? All marketing material should look professional. A picture speaks a thousand words. All interior pictures should be taken with wide angled lenses. Pictures should never look like they have been taken with a cell phone. Equally important is the text that accompanies the pictures. It should be well written and interest buyers in the home.
6. How often will I hear from you and what will you be telling me? There are many stories of real estate agents  taking a listing, then never speaking to the seller again. This is usually because they don’t have any good news to report. The agent should have a set day and time and method to contact the seller and update them on the sale of their home. They should be providing weekly written feedback from other Real estate agents that have showed the home, as well as weekly market updates.
7. What makes you different from other real estate agents? A good real estate agent should have that answer at the tip of their tongue, and go into great detail of how they are different. Most people say these are what they’re looking for: honest and trustworthy, assertive, excellent negotiator, good communicators, friendly, analytical, and able to maintain a good sense of humor under trying circumstances. 
8. May I see your resume or personal brochure? A large percent of agents don’t have resumes or personal bios. But, that should be a clue as to their professionalism. They wouldn’t think of showing up to a job interview without a resume, but that’s exactly what they are doing.
9. What will you do to help me prepare my house for sale?  In this market preparing the home for sale is very important. Model homes look like model homes for a reason. Yours should too.  An agent should either help you stage your home to sell, or be able to provide the names of professional home stagers
10. What do you charge? This question isn’t as straight forward as it seems. Real estate commissions are negotiable. Typically the seller pays a certain percentage to each side of the transaction. But, be sure to ask what the commission pays for. A reduced commission might mean reduced services.