When we meet with new clients, they are often most concerned about how much we think their home is worth. How much do we charge? Although these are valid questions, there are some more important questions you should be asking before you hire a reputable real estate team.
These are some questions we think you should consider:
How long have you been in business?
This may seem like a simple question but the amount of years your realtor has been in business is important. Some realtors are also holding down another job or working just part-time. You want to know that your home is going to get the full attention it needs. The more sales your real estate team has completed, the more experience they hold down also.
What is your average list to sale price ratio?
A competent real estate team should be able to negotiate sales prices close to the listing price. Some other questions might be: Where were these houses located? Are you familiar with my neighbourhood?
What is the marketing strategy for my home?
As a seller, you want to know how your home will be marketed. Do you have a professional photographer? Do you use social media? What steps will be taken to sell my home? Is there anything about my home that may detract buyers from delivering offers? As a buyer, you want to know how many homes you will be able to see. How do you handle multiple offers?
Can you prepare a comparative market analysis?
It is important to find out how your home compares to other homes of comparative size and style. What homes are up for sale in the area? How much did they end up selling for? It is important for you to have realistic expectations about your home by looking at statistics about home sales in your area.
What services will be included?
You will need to discuss what each real estate team provides. It is important to know if they have a professional photographer and how many open houses they will have. Do they provide home staging? Also, discuss your needs and wants about the sale of your home.
What top items make you different than other real estate teams?
This is a very important question. If a realtor comes back with a really low commission, you should be wary. Oftentimes this is because the agent is not very successful. Most consumers are looking more for integrity, honesty, assertiveness, and excellent negotiators.
Can you help me find other professionals?
Especially if you are new to a specific city or neighbourhood you will need some help with some professionals like mortgage or insurance brokers, lawyers and home inspectors. Finding good help when you are buying or selling can be a time-consuming process. A good real estate team will help you in any way they can with professionals that will help you through your real estate purchase or sale.
Do you provide references?
Check the feedback provided by other clients. Often you will see kudos written on their website detailing what they liked most about this real estate team.
Our Anne Winch Real Estate Team would be proud to answer any of these questions or other questions you may have. It is very important for both parties to understand the wants and needs of the buyer/seller and also how the team can help you. We always provide a comparative market analysis with our clients before we even look at the selling price. Our team’s list-to-sale ratio is 98.8% meaning if we list a home at $500 000, we will get $494 000 on average and sometimes even more due to the seller’s market.
We also offer free home staging which is included for every home we sell. Give us a call and find out how we are different real estate team when it comes to buying or selling your home.