Choosing an Agent to Sell Your House

There was very interesting article in the The Wall Street Journal yesterday on having to sell a home today and what you need to do. The one part that really caught my eye was the fourth item, Hire a top real estate agent.

4. HIRE A TOP REAL-ESTATE AGENT.

Get the best, most aggressive selling (listing) agent you can find. When everything was selling before it even hit the market, of course, you didn’t need the best. You just needed the cheapest. But not these days.

Fortunately, in this market, real-estate brokers are even more anxious than you. They’re eager to get whatever work they can, so don’t rely on your cousin with the real-estate license or your best friend’s wife.

Ask, instead, for the local real-estate office’s top salesperson. All offices have one or two sellers who greatly outperform their colleagues. That’s who you want.

Interview various agents and insist that they present you with a well-conceived marketing plan that goes way beyond the usual Internet page, one or two open houses and a yard sign. (Think about using a professional photographer for multiple shots on the primary Web listing, your house as the featured “home of the week” in the local newspaper, a decorating segment on a morning chat show, a stop on the local garden club’s spring tour.)

Sellers of higher-end properties should be able to negotiate a lower commission percentage, but this is no time to quibble over a couple of percentage points. Also, offer the agent a big bonus if he or she sells the house in 30 days or at your asking price. Offer other agents bonuses if they bring in the ultimate buyer. via WSJ.com

Sellers need Well-Trained, aggressive agents with an aresenal of marketing tool and resources at their disposal. Avoid making the mistake of letting just any agent list you home. Email me today at sheilaandrs@aol.com