Going to sell your home? What you should look for in a listing agent

The biggest complaint about real estate agents is that most are unresponsive. Calls, texts, and emails go un-returned, or agents take forever to get back to their clients.

Here’s how we look at this at LasVegasRealEsate.com: that period of time that your home is on the market is stressful, especially if this is the first time you’ve sold a home.

The last thing you need is to be cast adrift, with no support from the expert you hired to guide you through the process. That’s just downright wrong.

It’s too bad so many real estate agents are unable to put themselves in their clients’ shoes. So, look for an agent who does. Seek out a listing agent who responds quickly to your calls and is able to effectively communicate the sometimes-complicated aspects of the home-selling process. Where do you start? Call the Real Estate agents office, not the broker phone number for the main office, call the direct line or cell phone for the agent you are considering. Does he/she actually answer the phone? If you go to voicemail and your call is not returned in less than 3 to 4 hours, that’s your first clue. A good, experienced and considerate Realtor likely makes a habit of answering their phone or returning calls in a timely manner.

The homeowner has the final say in how much a home is listed for and, naturally, buyers have the final say in how much the home eventually sells for.

The listing agent, however, analyzes the market to determine a home’s current market value and makes a pricing suggestion to the homeowner.

This is a critical decision for the homeowner. Price the home too high and there will be little interest in it. Price it too low and you’ll leave money on the table.

Beware of the listing agent whose price suggestion is significantly higher than expected or higher than other agents have recommended.

It’s an old trick, performed by dishonest real estate agents, and it’s known as “buying the listing.”

What happens is that the homeowner falls for the ruse, lists the home too high and when buyers are uninterested in viewing the overpriced home, the listing agent then pesters the homeowner for price reductions.

Thankfully, this isn’t a common practice, but it does happen. Reward the honest Realtor – the one that actually spends time producing a Comparative Market Analysis on your home and walks you through the results to a fair listing price that makes sense.

Marketing experts laugh at real estate agents who employ the “list and pray” strategy. They’ll do the basics, like installing a sign at their listings, affixing a lock-box to the door and, of course, taking a couple hours to add a cursory listing in the Multiple Listing Service database – sometimes with a few errors.

Then, they’ll sit back and pray that another local agent brings in a buyer and sells the home.

Pretty crazy, isn’t it? And, in some real estate markets, it may even work. But, why take a chance?

Marketing requires knowledge of the ideal potential buyer for your home and then laser-targeting that group. It often requires a multi-pronged approach, including a robust online plan for digital and social media marketing.

It’s the most important facet of a listing agent’s job, which is why you should pay attention to the Realtors marketing plan.

As you interview listing agents for the job of marketing your home, pay close attention to how they market themselves, both online and off. Ask for information on how each agent plans to market your home – digitally and traditionally. Yes, that yard sign does work, in fact, most Real Estate studies indicate that 9% of all homes sell to a buyer that first saw the yard sign.

Call the agents to find out how responsive they are.

Avoid those who don’t return your calls, can’t clearly answer all your questions and those who offer amateur marketing examples.

This is an important job you’re interviewing for – take your time and hire smart. For more information on successfully listing your home for sale and getting the best price and terms please read our HOME SELLING GUIDE here: LasVegasRealEstate.com: Guide To Selling A Home

Thank you for reading our blog post, “Going to sell your home? What you should look for in a listing agent”. For more Las Vegas Real Estate tips, market news, and information on homes for sale please visit our website LasVegasRealEstate.com