How to Select a Realtor: Choosing the Best of the Best

Selling your home is an important time in your life. Your money and future are on the line, and there’s no reason why you should trust these things to someone who isn’t best equipped to handle them. Choosing a realtor is perhaps the most important decision you’ll make when you decide to place your home on the market. Unfortunately, nowadays, the real estate agent field is so flooded with barely-educated newbies that it can be hard to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff.

Usually it’s not a matter of a higher commission, because not only do lousy agents and top-producing ones generally charge a similar commission, but even if a better agent is slightly more expensive, they more than pay for themselves when it comes to bringing the right buyers and demanding the top selling price for your home. Top agents broker more deals than others, that’s a fact, and when you’re finding a realtor in the Philly condo market, you want to take this task seriously! Don’t simply collect a list of a few names, find one with a style that resonate with you, a history that speaks for itself, and the skills to take your listing to the next level.

Once you have a list of potential real estate agents, here are four key things you should assess, and important questions you should ask when selecting the best realtor for you.

Your Realtor’s History is Important

While it’s true that even the greatest real estate agents were freshly licensed once upon a time, an agent’s history can tell you a great deal about how they will perform when given the task of selling your home. How long has your prospective realtor been in business? This is possibly the weakest question, because it is possible for a new agent to have untapped star power.

A more important question: How many listings did the agent sell last year? Beyond that, what was their average time period from initial listing until an accepted offer? These are telling questions.

Bonus tip: It’s a mistake to think that an agent without many other listings is a good idea because they will “have more time to focus on you.” A great real estate agent has processes and standards in place, typically has a larger reach to market your home, and makes the time or has assistance to make sure you and your home are a top priority at all times.

Experience Makes the a Difference

You want to choose a realtor who knows your neighborhood and has the competency to price your home correctly the FIRST TIME. Plenty of lesser real estate agents will “buy a listing” by tempting sellers with a price that turns their head. Everyone thinks their home is special and that it’s worth more than comparable nearby listings. An agent with the guts to level with you, to present you with a realistic price, is a keeper. If you price your house too high, it will stagnate on the market and experience price cut after price cut until you end up at the bottom of the barrel looking like you’re desperate to sell.

Select a realtor who knows exactly how to price your home at its highest realistic price without going under or over.

Bonus tip: You can find out a lot about your prospective agent by talking to their former clients. Asking for references is useless, because anyone can find three friends who are willing to give a glowing review. Instead, ask for your agent’s last three completed listings and look up their phone numbers yourself. This will give you a real, accurate picture of how your agent works. And if you’re selecting an agency with a range of realtors, get a feel for the style of the company as a whole, as well as individuals so you can make a choice that best fits you.

Go-To Strategies Speak Volumes

In today’s tech-savvy world, you want to choose a realtor who will market your home as thoroughly as possible in creative, hard-hitting ways. No longer is it acceptable to just have several high-quality pictures of your home on the MLS—although you do need these—because today’s buyers want more. An agent willing to work hard to make the sale will invest their time in a virtual walkthrough and wide-angle photographs to be attached to the listing, a strategy that can help lure relocation buyers who want the next-best thing to seeing the house in person. Here are Center City, we use high quality photographers so that your listing starts strong and stays strong.

When interviewing your would-be realtor, read the property descriptions from some of their other condos and homes for sale. Are these descriptions compelling, pointing out the house’s best selling points and punching up its desirability, or are they bland and generic? Select a real estate agent who you’re sure will be imaginative and vigorous in finding creative ways to market your home.

Bonus tip: Make sure your agent has the right equipment for the job. Ask what kind of camera they have. If your house’s pictures look like they were shot with a potato, all dark and blurry, they will not attract buyers! A realtor who invests in the best tools is the guy (or gal) for the job.

Open Communication is Key

Knowing that you can get in touch with your agent at any time during the selling process is important. Don’t shy away from a busy agent thinking that they won’t make time for you, because top realtors hire assistants to manage day-to-day tasks, so they can focus on the tasks that matter most — selling strategies, negotiations and keeping in touch with buyers and sellers. Ask a prospective agent whether they will be the one who fields calls from interested buyers, and how they will keep in touch with you throughout the selling process. You also want to know how your agent will produce feedback from showings and open houses, so that you know what buyers are thinking about your home.

Does your agent keep their smartphone on them, and answer your calls and emails promptly? Is there a dedicated assistant in the office so you can leave a message with a human rather than a machine? These are all things to ask.

Bonus tip: Choose a realtor who’s willing to be present during major appointments for your home, like the appraisal, home inspection, and so forth.

The core message here is that you want the best realtor in your area. Great realtors have strong connections within the Philly real estate community and will expose your listing to the right kinds of buyers.

Choosing the best realtor means the best-producing, most knowledgeable, hardest-working agent. Set aside the real estate myths, such as busy realtors not having the proper time for your listing, and instead assess how the right realtor can essentially guide you through the process of selling a home in your specific market. Interview potential realtors, ask all the questions you need to feel secure in your choice, and the payoff will be a quick, painless home sale that nets you the best price possible for your home. You deserve no less.