Realtor questions

[ca859093]

When selling your house how do you go about finding a realtor? Do you use that same realtor to buy your new house or someone different or just the listing agent on the house.
We did not use an agent to buy or house, because it was a foreclosure, and we did all the research ourselves.

Thanks for all and any advice

 

[The Mystery Machine]

When we sold our last house, we did all our homework, ie what is for sale around us, prices, etc..kept an eye on what was selling and how fast.
Stuff like that...

Then we decluttered and had the house look like a display home. It looked so, so, good!

Then we called in the Realtors and interviewed 3 of them. We were well prepared. Their first impression of your home means alot, even though they will tell you it doesn't matter.

We choose the realtor that was going to work for us. Easy to spot and you will know.
The other 2 wanted to slap up the cheapest price to go easy on them and we knew it because we were more prepared than they were.

Took us 8 days to sell.

 

[ceiligh1]

I would ask your friends. They will have gone through a sale or bought a home through someone. If the realitor did a good job they should be able to tell you that. A good one is wonderful to keep in touch with because they know the area and they know which company is good at plumbing, roofing ect. We call ours when we are going to do work on the house to see who they will recommend. He helped us to buy our first house a few years ago and then helped us to sell it and move into our current place.
A realitor is important because the price point of the house is the key, if it is too high you will not get offers. While I would clean up the house and declutter I would not paint or anything before the realitor reviews the house. You wouldnt want to use the wrong color or do something you didnt need to do. We were going to replace the tile floor in the last house until the realitor told us not to.
We sold in a weekend. 60 people viewed our house and we had 5 or 6 offers. THis was a little over a year ago. But we live in a small volume of house sale area.

 

[SillyMe]

Once you choose a realtor, if you really like them and they really work for you...then stick with them to buy your new house. You will get much farther staying with one good realtor, than calling several realtors just because you see their sign on a house you want to look at. They all have access to the same MLS and can show you any house on the market.

IMO, I personally wouldn't call the listing agent on the house you want to see. That creates a dual agency and that realtor cannot look out for your best interests. Find yourself a good realtor and keep him/her. They will be your buyer agent and look out for your best interest.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Quite often a real estate agent will reduce their listing commission, if they're also working as your buyer's agent on the other end. I reduce mine on the listing side by 1% and if I sell it myself, I reduce it 2%.

It is customary where I live, for the same agent to represent you in both transactions.

As far as finding an agent, I'd ask friends and relatives for referrals first. I treat those referred to me like gold. I greatly depend on a lot of my business from referrals. I owe it to both the person who referred them, and the person who was referred to me, to be the best I can possibly be. (Not that I'm not, otherwise!)

If you don't know of anyone that can offer a referral, search the agents out who list the most in your area and interview them. See which one you think you'd work the best with. Personalities play a big role; you need to be able to work well with the person that you're entrusting such a huge transaction with.

Remember - just because they brag about being a top producer, doesn't necessarily mean that they're a good agent. Trust your instincts and do your homework and you'll find a great agent, I'm sure.

 

[nightowlky]

Went the FiSBO route a few years ago when I sold my house. I did pay the extra amount to be listed on the MLS which I think is what you really need to help sell the house (I ended up selling to a couple that had moved in from out-of-town and whose real estate agent had seen it on the MLS)

 

[barkley]

we researched those in our area and interviewed to determine the marketing plan each would propose (we knew our house should be marketed to commuters in a adjacent county where house prices were through the roof-only one realtor even thought to consider that).

we also wanted to go with one that had a policy of not being both a buyer and sellers agent on the same home. the one we went with worked for a national firm that precluded the practice such that he could show the home as a 'buyer's agent' but if an offer was going to be written it had to passed off to another realtor in the office (and they worked out the commission issue). our realtor was also a LONG time resident of our community and very knowlegable about every aspect of the town (when potential buyers toured through he could answer allot more questions about the schools, cc&r's and local ordinances than their 'high profile/johnny come lately' realtors).

we also had the realtors come in over a month before we were ready to list-we wanted their input on what did/did not need to be done. we found that somethings we assumed needed to be done (esp. based on those hgtv type of sell your house shows) were not necessary and were actualy considered inappropriate for our region.

the result-our house had an offer within a week at full asking price. identical houses with newer upgrades/designer touches have been reduced as much as 100K and are still sitting there 6 months later (we priced at a few thousand less to draw in more people-that 3K kept us from getting underbid and have to do counter offers and such).

 

[Cindyluwho]

WOW, you guys! I've been an agent for over 16 years and you've all had excellent advice! I have nothing to add, just kudos to you all for doing your research and giving great advice.

 

[lesroi]

MysteryMachine and Am_I_There_Yet are spot-on! I am also a Realtor here in Florida and this is what I wish most people and most Realtors would do.

You should always meet with a few Realtors in the event you don't get a referral from a friend or family member (which is the best way to find a Realtor.)

Don't always go with the one that gives you the lowest OR the highest listing price. Also, be prepared for some constructive criticism. A good Realtor can tactfully let you know if there is anything you can do to make your home more saleable.

Don't be afraid to ASK QUESTIONS either.

Where I live it is also customary for the Realtor who is listing your home to help you find a new one. By the time you have worked with them to list your home, they should have a good idea of what sort of home would suit your needs.

Good luck, you have gotten some GREAT advice on this thread!

Tracy