Owning a property/house is a sort of investment for a common man and for many others, the selling and buying process is a much more frequent business. Whatever be the case, to spot a prospective piece of land or to find a home for sale, we inevitably need the help of a realtor. They are people who are involved with real estate business and the first step one who want to do a transaction with a real estate property is to find a good realtor. Finding a good realtor is crucial because it is your need to have a competent realtor who does the business straight and the property once transferred will be free of any legal tangles.
Real estate business is really vast and new realtors join the real estate bandwagon every day. This really complicates your attempts to find a good realtor. Generally, when one is thinking about selling their home or land, he/she should ideally think about whether to have a realtor or not. Finding a good realtor is the second step only.
If you need to sell your home in less time as you are moving due to a transfer or a change of job, then it is better to have the property listed under a good realtor. In such a situation, there is an urgent need for finding a good realtor. On the other hand, if you have time in hand, then you may try to sell it yourself if you require the equity money for a down payment. In such cases, take care to put the finest details in to the contract; it will help avoiding problems later.
To find a good realtor, the customer should do a thorough research on the available realtors and take time off to interview the short listed ones before deciding on a particular realtor. While interviewing so as to find a good realtor, ideally the customer should be asking him/her,
- Where do they do their work and how will they market your real estate to a prospective buyer/seller?
- If the agency puts your house in the MLS of the area. Also specifically ask if the agency belongs to more than one MLS. In areas where there is an overlap of popular neighborhoods, multiple memberships become a necessity.
- How long have they been an agent and how many homes did they sell till date? Also ask for the commission rate they charge. If the commission percentages are very less, it is better to avoid such an agent. It is widely seen that such realtors are not up to the task as one might expect.
- How long they take to sell a home and how many they represent at a time??
- Also see if the agent represents a reputable agency and is a member of state and national realtor associations.
Remember, having a lot of listings is no indication of the efficiency of the realtor. One with a lot of listings can possibly have a low success rate. Hence go by good credentials and track records instead of just number of listings.
Before signing a contract, take care to keep the right to cancel the contract at your discrimination, if you feel that things are getting lagged too much. If the realtor declines to have such a clause, ask him/her to list the property for 3-4 months instead of a year. Since you are the seller, you should be the person calling the shots and you have the right to do so. Keep in mind that it is not a good deal to have a property locked in with an agent for a year’s time.
With a bit of research and brain scratching, you can find a good realtor. In fact, such persons are there in plenty. It is all about getting the selection right. And if you have successfully signed up with a good realtor, more are your chances for selling your home/property at the earliest.