Pinecrest Florida Real Estate and More...: What To Ask A Listing Agent

When looking for an agent to sell your property you need to do your homework.  The majority of agents are self employed and they are all very different from each other.  Being self employed, they run their own business, even if they work under the same brokerage company.  Unless you have received a trusted recommendation or are already knowledgeable with a particular agent, you need to interview at least two agents.  Here are some questions you should ask of them and yourself:

1. How long have you been practicing real estate?  Are you a full-time agent?  This well let you know if real estate is their profession or it's a part-time endeavor.  How educated in her field is she, what titles and designations does she hold?  How available will she be to me?  What degree of personal service can I expect from you?  Ex. Do you show your listings or do you send an assistant or other agent?

2. Does he specialize in the area where my property is located?  If an agent says "I practice all over Miami (or any other large city)", I'd be careful.  Miami is a big city, how well can he know all the schools, all the traffic patterns, what values are doing in that particular area, which agents practice in the area, etc?

3. How will she market my property?  How tech savvy is she?  Show me.  The majority of Buyers go to the internet first, how well will I be exposed there?  Does she have a top notch web site - do all the links work?  How easy can a Buyer get in touch with her?

You are inviting this agent into your home and into an important phase of your life, so in my opinion, the following "gut" questions are extremely important:

4. Do I feel comfortable; am I at ease with him?  You will be working closely with your agent; can you speak freely with him or her?  Is this a person of integrity, will I be treated honestly?  When I ask questions does he give me a straight answer?

I hope these questions help you in your decision.  When you choose a competent professional, she will work very hard to make sure that your transaction proceeds as smoothly as possible.