How to Find the Right Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

When you’re selling your house, finding the right real estate agent is essential. Your agent will help you find ways to increase the value of your home, guide you in preparing the property for showings, help you price your property competitively, review offers with you, negotiate on your behalf, walk you through contracts, and see you through the closing process. The right agent will help you sell fast and with a high return.

Here are some tips for how to find the right real estate agent to sell your home.

Look for a Sellers’ Agent in Your Area

Real estate agents specialize in certain areas in their industry and in their community. One of the primary differences in agents is that some work specifically with buyers while others are exclusive to sellers. A sellers’ agent has extensive experience helping sellers get the most money out of their house for sale with a super-fast list-to-close process.

Your agent should also specialize in the community in which you are listing your house for sale. For example, he or she should know about local shopping districts, parks, schools, golf courses, restaurants, community centers, public transportation, and other nuances that are unique to your area. Remember, you’re not just selling the house; you’re selling the neighborhood, too.

Find an Agent Who Sells Your Type of Property

You may be selling a detached single-family home, but there are also duplexes, townhomes, condominiums, waterfront properties, golf course communities, and other property types. 

An agent specializing in condos is going to know a lot more about their rules, regulations, red flags, highly-coveted features, and other important elements — an agent working primarily with condos won’t understand the same about waterfront properties or single-family homes.

Find an agent who specifically works with the kind of property you’re selling. 

How to Build a List of Potential Real Estate Agents

Ask the people you know who they would recommend. That would be your best jump-off point if someone you know had a great experience with an agent who might work out well for you. You can also do that via social media with the “ask for recommendations” feature.

Drive around your area looking for for-sale signs, taking note of the listing agent. If you see the same listing agent on multiple for-sale signs in the neighborhood, pay particular attention.

Take your search to the internet to see who Google suggests, or use Facebook as a search engine to see who it feels is a good match for you. Read the ratings and reviews. Visit the agents’ websites. Read their bios, check out their pictures, and look for any qualifications or characteristics that make them stand out above the rest.

Try to build a list of at least five potential agents who align with your criteria.

Interview Real Estate Agents – At Least Three

It’s important to interview real estate agents for multiple reasons. First, you want to understand their experience, qualifications, certifications, awards, and other credentials so you can make the best choice.

Second, you want to give yourself an opportunity to get a feel for the agents’ personalities, how they conduct themselves, how well they communicate, whether they’re light-hearted or strictly professional. You’ll discover whose personalities you vibe with and who might make you feel a bit uncomfortable. Trust your intuition and choose an agent who is qualified and who makes you feel confident moving forward.

Wrigleyville

Pilsen

Portage Park

Consider the Commission Rate

One of the most important factors in finding the right real estate agent to sell your house is how much the agents charge for their commissions.

There is no standard for what an agent can or should charge for commissions, but it is fair to say that six percent seems to be the most common commission rate.

When an agent promises a low commission rate to try to secure you as their client, ask yourself why. Are they desperate for a client? Are they not confident in their abilities?

And, if an agent charges way above the average, that might also be a red flag.

Compare Agent Contracts

Aside from agreeing to pay the agent’s commission rates, there are other terms in a real estate agent’s contract that you may not realize you have to meet. For example, most agent contracts stipulate that you cannot terminate the agreement in less than 90 days.

In other words, even if they don’t pursue buyers for your house, you can’t fire them and look for another agent. You’re stuck for the duration. However, not all agents have this stipulation in their contracts – and some of them are willing to negotiate.

Additional Questions to As Agents in an Interview

• Some agents work alone as individuals while others work as part of a team. Ask your agent if you’ll work with him or her directly or if you’ll meet with various team members.
• Ask about communication methods and frequency – should you expect to talk to the agent by phone every day or by email once a week? Be clear ahead of time, so there’s not a communication gap down the road.

• How many current clients are you working with, and how many do you typically work with at a time?
• How many houses have you successfully sold in the past year?
• Of the homes you sold, how long were they on the market, and how many times were their prices reduced?
• What was the average sales price of the homes you’ve closed in the last year?

Conclusion

You’ve got to find the best sellers’ agent in your area to ensure that you have an expedited, profitable sale of your home. Make a list of agents based on recommendations, ratings, reviews, and by assessing agent websites.

Interview at least three agents to compare their qualifications, practices, and personalities. Choose an agent who specializes in the type of house you’re selling, who knows your area inside and out, who has a good track record, and who makes you feel comfortable moving forward.