mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253 
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Post by mallie on Jun 3, 2016 13:51:28 GMT
We are selling our home. In the past, we found our selling realtors by word of mouth. That's not a possibility this time.
(Because we don't know anyone here to ask. Seriously. Don't know anyone. No one has moved into/out of our neighborhood for a few years so I can't ask the neighbors...that is, if they would even answer the door since I live in Unfriendly Town.)
So given that, any advice on how to start looking for a good realtor?
Should I try to find out who are the top selling realtors in town? And if so, how do I do that?
Thanks!
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Post by cade387 on Jun 3, 2016 14:08:32 GMT
What we did was to drive around on the weekend and go to open houses. Then we talked with the realtors that were there as if we were interested in buying the house, then asking other questions about the market in the area and what they thought about things. If we got a good vibe from them then we would be honest that we are looking for a realtor and go from there.
We found that we could vet out a realtor very quickly, especially since we knew our area and what different neighborhoods were going for in price/sq ft. We could see if they knew their numbers. If they didn't, then we just went on our way.
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
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Post by mallie on Jun 3, 2016 14:16:01 GMT
Good idea and not one I'd have thought of, thanks! We both have Sunday off, so that may work out to do this weekend.
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blue tulip
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Post by blue tulip on Jun 3, 2016 15:44:49 GMT
we found our realtor at an open house. loved him, he was interested in what we were looking for, very helpful. we've sold 3 houses and bought 2 thru him now.
ETA we talked to him for a while at the open house, to get a feel for if he was just telling us what we wanted to hear, or was being honest. Some will just be "yes men" and say anything to get you as a client. Our guy was more laid back, interested but genuinely, and was fair in what he said to us, even if some things were a little hard to hear (at the time we met, we were trying to sell a smaller, starter house in a very down market, with very little room in price, as we had bought before the bubble). but we appreciated his honesty, and that he didn't just gloss over things and say it would be easy. |
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Post by Chips on Jun 3, 2016 16:03:13 GMT
When we sold our house I looked up the realtors who most often sold in our neighborhood. I felt that would would be best at selling the whole package of where we lived, the surrounding area and our home. Then I invited three of them over and we met with them separately and talked about what they thought needed to be fixed or changed in the house, what they planned on doing to sell the house and what their commission was.
The commission rate was ultimately the deciding factor for us. I think they ranged from 1% to 7% and we went with the 1% realtor. That allowed us to list the house at a lower price and we sold in less than two weeks.
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perumbula
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Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
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Post by perumbula on Jun 3, 2016 16:10:57 GMT
You can interview as many as you like. Three to thirty (although that would take awhile.) I wouldn't necessarily go with the top selling realtor in your area. They are often very, very busy and hard to get a hold of when you need them. Some will be good and some are top selling because they have an ongoing contract with a builder and aren't really any better than anyone else. Definitely ask questions to see how familiar they are with your area. Ask for a detailed marketing plan. Ask for advice on getting your home ready if you like as well to see how honest they are with you. This one is good because sometimes realtors will tell you what they think you want to hear at this stage, offering a higher price than the house should be listed, telling you your house is perfect when it's obvious you really need to paint the exterior trim and weed the flower beds, and the brightly colored kids bedroom should go white, etc. If they can't be honest with you here, there will be problems down the road. If you want help finding someone, message me.  |
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RosieKat
Drama Llama
PeaJect #12
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Post by RosieKat on Jun 3, 2016 16:13:28 GMT
I haven't done this yet, but I would see if there is a particular agent or company that is often used in your neighborhood. Around here, there are often neighborhood specialists who seem to be the best place to start.
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MerryMom
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Posts: 2,562
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Post by MerryMom on Jun 3, 2016 16:52:52 GMT
When you go to an open house, act like you are looking and don't let on that you are potentially auditioning the realtor. That way, you get a true sense of how the realtor interacts with the public (versus putting on a good show for a potential listing).
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Post by lurkingsince2001 on Jun 3, 2016 17:02:26 GMT
Do you have USAA insurance by chance? They will set you up with one. It's possible other insurance companies or credit cards have similar programs.
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
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Post by mallie on Jun 3, 2016 17:23:20 GMT
Thanks for all the helpful advice!
I went through the listings in our neighborhood to try and figure out who sells the most in our neighborhood. Unbelievably enough, NO realtor sold more than one house in our neighborhood -- each sale had a different agent. I can find no evidence of any sort of neighborhood specialist anywhere.
Thanks for the advice about the pitfalls of a top selling agent and about open houses.
We already know that we are going to have a lot of questions about what we need to do to make our house sell-ready. Since it's a seller's market, I know we probably have to do less than in a buyer's market, but I still don't want to shortchange the final selling price for the sake of a little inconvenience or outlay upfront. (My dh thinks we should do nothing and I think that replacing the exterior lights that look like crap, for example, would pay off.)
We do not have USAA insurance and there are no realtor benefits with any plan we have.
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perumbula
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Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
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Post by perumbula on Jun 3, 2016 17:29:01 GMT
Don't discount asking friends and family. even if they haven't sold or bought a house recently they may still know a good agent. If an agent worked with your friend 10 years ago and is still in business, it's likely that's a good agent. This is a tough business. If they are still around after ten years, they are doing something right.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,676
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Jun 3, 2016 17:53:46 GMT
I haven't used it but Dave Ramsey has Endorsed Local Providers that are Realtors. Might be another option to add to others.
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Post by dealsamongus on Jun 3, 2016 21:09:00 GMT
I just chose the one who looked nice in her photo. She ended up being so awesome and just so patient with us. We almost sold a couple years ago and we totally called her to assist (the house we wanted was to high and seller not willing to drop price) but when we sell she is our first call.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 3, 2016 21:15:41 GMT
I like the idea of auditioning them at someone else's open house to get a feel for their personality and their way with people. I also would ask everyone I know if they know of a good realtor: co-workers, your kid's teachers at school, anyone you have a casual relationship with. Most people know someone who sells real estate, and usually more than one.
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Post by mandasue on Jun 4, 2016 2:31:46 GMT
If you had a Realtor in the past you really liked - call them even if they are out of state. Realtors keep an open network with each other and can often refer you to a good agent in your area. Nothing extra for you the agent in your area may or may not pay them a referral fee from their commission.
Interview a few of you are not sure. Ask for their marketing plan. Make sure for certain you are getting a Realtor. Realtors are members of the National Board not all real estate agents are.
Decide up front If you want to be able to speak with and deal with your Realtor or their assistant (could be unlicensed) many top sellers have their assistants deal with a large portion of your transaction and you might have to get through them first to ever get to your Realtor.
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
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Post by mallie on Jun 4, 2016 3:03:55 GMT
Don't discount asking friends and family. even if they haven't sold or bought a house recently they may still know a good agent. If an agent worked with your friend 10 years ago and is still in business, it's likely that's a good agent. This is a tough business. If they are still around after ten years, they are doing something right. We have no fAmily here and truly have no friends here. (This is where when I knocked on a new neighbor's door and showed them the plate of brownies I was holding through the window, and they hid in their kitchen til i went awAy.) I asked my coworkers today and one of them did recommend an agent. So we will cAll him and go to some open houses this weekend. Thanks again ! |
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Post by Linda on Jun 4, 2016 3:14:40 GMT
I haven't used it but Dave Ramsey has Endorsed Local Providers that are Realtors. Might be another option to add to others. That's actually how we found the realtor who sold our house - we sold in less than 3 months back in 2009 in a downmarket (and we were selling a mobile home in not great condition on land - not the easiest sell). He was great and we walked away with about $400 in our pocket - to be honest, at that point, we were hoping not to have to bring money to the table so that was a win. [now the realtor who SOLD us our current house...well, let's just say, there was a reason we were looking for a new realtor when it came to selling the old house..] |
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IAmUnoriginal
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Jun 25, 2014 23:27:45 GMT
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Post by IAmUnoriginal on Jun 4, 2016 3:20:46 GMT
Do you have a local insurance agent? Both reps I work for have referral relationships with a couple realtors
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