When it comes to selling your home, finding the right real estate agent is essential to ensuring a smooth and successful process. The National Association of Realtors has compiled a helpful guide for sellers to better understand the questions to ask when selecting an agent. This guide offers valuable information to help you feel confident in your decision and find a professional who will work in your best interest.

Here are some key points from NAR’s “Consumer’s Guide: Ten Questions to Ask a Seller’s Agent.”

Are you a real estate agent?
When you work with a real estate agent, you are working with a professional guided by ethical duties under the Real Estate Agents Code of Ethics, including a commitment to protect and promote the interests of their clients.

What types of services can you provide me?
Your agent can help you market your property, interact with buyer’s agents, manage showings and open houses, negotiate the purchase contract on your behalf, assist you through the closing process and much more. even more.

Do you know the market in which I am selling my house?
Your agent must be licensed where you are selling your home. But they must also have the market knowledge necessary to facilitate a successful transaction. While prior experience in the market where your property is located is not required, local knowledge could help your agent develop a strategy that resonates with local buyers.

What will be included in our advertising contract?
At the beginning of your relationship, you and your agent will sign a listing agreement stating that the agent can represent you and market your property to potential buyers and their agents and establish the sale price of your home. It will also state the type of professional representation your agent will provide and what they will be paid for those services. Remember that agent compensation is entirely negotiable and not set by law.

How did you arrive at your suggested list price for my home?
Setting a strong initial asking price, based on your agent’s market knowledge, is important to capturing buyers’ interest and getting the best deal possible. Your agent should conduct market research to determine an appropriate price that both attracts potential buyers and ensures that you receive a fair market value for your home.

How will you market my house?
Agents may use a variety of marketing methods to reach potential buyers and should explain the pros and cons of each option to you. For example, one tool agents use to market properties is a multiple listing service, an online platform that compiles listings from brokerages in a given market, in order to reach the largest pool of possible buyers and potentially attract the best offer.

How to attract potential buyers?
There are many strategies that can help attract potential buyers. For example, compensation offers (when you or your agent pays another agent for getting a buyer to close the deal) and seller concessions (when you cover certain costs associated with buying a home for the buyer). buyer) can lead to a better or faster offer by reducing potential buyers’ out-of-pocket and upfront costs.

What should I do to prepare my house?
To prepare your home for listing, your agent may suggest investing in needed repairs or other improvements that could help increase buyer interest in the property.

How will you select potential buyers?
An important part of selling your home is making sure potential buyers are financially prepared to follow through on their offer. Talk to your agent about how they plan to evaluate potential buyers, which may include requiring a pre-approval letter to be submitted with the offer.

Do you have any references I can speak with?
Many agents will be happy to connect you with happy clients they have worked with in the past who can talk about their experience.

Choosing the right agent can make all the difference in your home selling experience. By asking the right questions and understanding what to expect, you can confidently navigate the process and achieve your real estate goals. #It’sWhoWeR