Most Realtors© will have a formal presentation to make when you interview them. After they have finished, ask the following questions if they haven't already been answered. As with most of the information on this web site, just because one of areas below doesn't meet with your expectations, doesn't mean you should automatically reject the person you are speaking with. Take all the information you gather as a whole, factor in how well you get along with the person, and make your choice.
How will you market my property? The Realtor© should cover all the basics: multiple listing service, newspaper and magazine ads, broker's tour, Internet marketing, and open houses. In addition, they should know where the current home buyers in your neighborhood are coming from and have a strategy for attracting them. For example, because BART is now in the Tri Valley, many buyer's are coming from the San Francisco Peninsula. How will these people find out about your home?
What should my list price be? Don't tell the Realtor© what you think your home is worth. Have them tell you the price, and in detail why. Do they understand your neighborhood? Could they describe the homes that have sold in your neighborhood in a way that makes you believe they actually saw a good portion of them?
If the price they quote seems way too high, there may be reason for concern. Is the person telling you this just to get your business?
If the price you are given seems too low, there could be a couple of reasons. Number one, the Realtor© may not know your market well enough, or, number two, you may have unrealistic expectations. Hopefully the Realtor© r will offer to take you to view current homes on the market before you decide on a final listing price.
Note: there is more danger in listing a home at too high a price than too low. If too low, the market still has a chance to self correct through multiple offers. If too high, you will rarely get full value.
How will we communicate? Communication should be often and comprehensive. Your Realtor© should follow up on every showing your home has had and give you feedback about what the potential buyers of your home think. Whenever you leave a message with your Realtor©, he/she should get back to you the same day, hopefully sooner. Unfortunately, communication is one area that you are just not going to know until you are working with the person. But ask the question anyway. If they say we will talk once a week, you may want to move on to someone else.
Tell me about yourself? The answer may, or may not, be enlightening, but listen to what they have to say. We know Realtors© who have been in the business for less than a year who are wonderful, and some who have been in the business forever and are not; and vice versa. Often those who worked outside the real estate business before becoming Realtors© (and particularly in a customer service oriented business), seem to provide a better level of service than those who grew up in the business.
Have you ever been before any professional disciplinary boards? This is a question that is difficult to ask, and the answer will more than likely be no, but the question is worth asking anyway. If the answer is yes, find out the details and take the information into consideration. Very seldom will a good, honest Realtor© have a problem of this sort.
Have any of your clients ever had to go before a mediation or arbitration boards? There may be a very good reason why the Realtor's© client had a dispute with the person buying their home, but it also could be because the Realtor© did not properly assist their client with state mandated disclosures. Listen to the circumstances and decide. Find out if it would be okay for you to contact that client.
What is the best way to handle the disclosure paperwork? This may seem a strange question to ask, but there is a good reason for it: as a test to find out how hard the individual will work for you. There is a stack of mandated disclosures that must be completed, and, in fact, if done properly can protect you in the future. (The buyer can't come back later and say they weren't told of something significant, because you listed it in your disclosures). If the Realtor© answers this question by saying that the disclosures will be left with you to complete, we suggest that you be concerned. As a seller this is a very important step in the selling process. The old axiom 'buyer beware' has changed to 'seller beware.' The Realtor© should sit with you and go through this important paperwork step-by-step.
Will you be at any inspections that are taking place on my property? Other than the roof inspection, the answer to this question is yes. Nothing else should be acceptable.