You’ve researched, interviewed, checked references, confirmed, listened to the listing presentation, learned the listing agents marketing plan and are ready to put your home on the market!  You’ve found your listing agent, so what should you expect of them going forward?

Communication from the very beginning of the transaction to settlement is one of the most important aspects of selling real estate. Without it, breakdowns can happen, it can cost the seller or buyer time and money. I believe that you can’t over-communicate when it comes to selling real estate and I make it my goal that my client never asks me “What’s next?”.  A client should never have to ask their realtor “what’s next?” because we should be advising, informing and educating along the way.

Communication is key

Communication is key because it can save time for everyone involved.  Great communication can prevent a lot of headaches down the road. There should be no changes in the level of communication after the listing paperwork is signed or at any stage of the transaction. I can’t tell you the number of times something happened in a transaction and I thought to myself “Could you imagine the headache/stress this would have caused my seller/buyer, if I didn’t already inform them of this possibility/scenario?”.  That’s a far easier conversation to have than your seller saying “You never mentioned anything about this possibly happening or that we needed to do this!”

The agent should be easily reachable and return all messages in a timely manner. All realtors have lives outside of real estate, but with today’s technology there really is no excuse for not following up in a timely manner.

The real estate agent should be advising, educating and informing along the way. This, by itself, can eliminate the question “What’s next?”

Follow Through

This is also very important.  What good would it do the seller if the real estate agent promised top dollar, quick sale, to be a high communicator and help guide you through the process but then after the listing agreement was signed, was not capable of most of these or just plain underperformed across the board?

This is not a good thing to figure out after you have signed the listing agreement, right?

This again points to why it is so important to do your homework and research on referrals and agents before you choose one. It’s in the best interest of the seller to know exactly how things will work once under contract and who the seller will be dealing with when questions do arise (listing agent, team member, etc).

Red Flag Warnings

These are some questions you need answering. If you're answering 'No' to any of them it means Red Flags are falling and that means warning!

• Did the agent send that form over that they said they would?
• Did the agent call you back in a timely manner after you left a voicemail?
• Was that bid you asked for ever received?
• Were photos scheduled yet?

There are so many things to do in order to get a home ready for market and it’s very important that the seller be working with a real estate agent that not only means what they say, knows what they are doing, but also follows through at all times.

Conclusion

Finding a good real estate agent is 80% of the home selling experience. It is essential if you want to have a painless experience. It is not a difficult task to find an excellent real estate agent. With a little effort on research, you can find the best real estate agent for your home selling needs.

A good real estate agent is an experienced professional who can listen to your requirements, understand them emphatically and take the necessary steps to find the range of buyers who may be ideal for you.

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