Guide: How to choose a REALTOR
- How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your
full-time job? (While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate, like
many other professions, is mostly learned on the job.
- What designations do you hold? (Designations, such as e-PROÒ and CIPSÒ which
require that real estate professionals take additional, specialized real estate
training, are held by only about one-quarter of real estate practitioners.)
- Do you have a website? What information can I find there? Is it user
friendly
- Will you show me listings from other companies
- How many days did it take you to sell the average home? How did that compare
to the overall market?
- How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final
sale prices?
- What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell
my home? (Look for someone who has aggressive, innovative approaches, not just
someone who’s going to put a sign in the yard and hope for the best.)
- Does the technology that you use benefit both yourself and your clients? Do
you use modern/latest technology?
- Will you represent me exclusively? (While it’s usually legal to represent
both parties in a transaction, it’s important to understand where the
practitioner’s obligations lie. A good practitioner will explain the agency
relationship to you and describe the rights of each party.)
- Can you recommend service providers who can assist me in obtaining a
mortgage, doing valuations, obtaining surveyors ID and other things I need
done? (Keep in mind here that real estate professionals should generally
recommend more than one provider and should tell you if they receive any
compensation from any provider.)
- What type of support does your brokerage office provide to you? (Having
resources, such as, access to a real estate attorney, or assistance with
technology, can help a real estate professional sell your home.)
- What’s your business philosophy? (While there’s no right answer to this
question, the response will help you assess what’s important to the real estate
practitioner—fast sales, service, etc.—and determine how closely the
practitioner’s goals and business emphasis mesh with your own.)
- How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How
frequently? Using what media? (Again, this is not a question with a correct
answer, but that one reflects your desires. Do you want updates twice a week or
don’t want to be bothered unless there’s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone,
e-mail, or a personal visit?) All these and more are offered by an e-PROÒ
specialist.
- Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most
recent clients?
AS AN e-PRO REALTOR,
HOWARD JOHNSON REALTY HAS POSITIVE RESPONSES TO ALL OF THE ABOVE!