Quote:
Originally Posted by bcedhk
Question on picking a realtor to sell a home:
1. I the interview process expected to be over the phone or email only? If they book a time to come over to my house, are they expecting me to sign the agent's contract?
2. What are the typical rate for marketing fees? The realtors I've been referred to provide video, photos and site plan service.
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#2 is easy - there should be zero additional costs above the standard commission unless you're doing some wild staging of your place and they need to bring in $10k of furniture, a super car and a model to pose on the car.
For #1, this may depend on what you're selling but my agent came over to my apartment at the time which was only worth $300k (6 years ago) and walked us through what she and her partner did and how the process would work. This time around she came by our house, did a walkthrough, and again walked us through what would happen. There was no expectation that we'd sign with her though we gave no signals that we were shopping around with other agents - I knew I wanted to use her.
If you don't know who you want to use then I'd say start with a 10-15 min phone call - find out how well they know your area, if they've sold similar products, how much product they are moving, what's their approach to selling (my realtor has backbone but doesn't play games or give attitude, she's pretty clear about being professional - her counterpart in the last round was very much not like that but it's worked for that guy really well). If you get a good vibe, invite them over to see your place and ask them to bring some comparables with them. Tell them you're talking to a few agents.
Ask for a few references - ask they what type of sellers they like working with - are their sellers experienced? newbies? hands on/off? Are you a seller who is realistic about the sale price for a relatively quick sale or are you willing to let it sit for 60 days to get the price you want? Make sure they know what you are as well.
My agent has very good attention to detail when it comes to contracts which my wife cared a lot about - it's where the trust was built for the two of them. I cared a lot about her knowing the market and providing me with good advice about what homes I should consider - she pushed me to consider homes I said I wasn't interested in to get me to open my mind which I appreciated. These were the things I cared about - you may care about very different things.
As for big or small agents, know that if you go with a big name agent you may spend most of your time with their assistant(s) and not them. A high volume guy like Michelle Yu or Paul Eviston gives you a nice wave and that might be it. If that works for then go for it since they have a brand/reputation. Your small volume agent will likely be the person you deal directly with for the whole deal - this might matter a lot to you. Even some medium volume folks have their assistants handle things for them.