Before You Sell, Ask Your Agent These 8 Questions

Bigfork Real Estate Video Blog with Scott Hollinger

Before you sell your home, there are some key questions that you should be asking. Find out more here. Whenever I talk with a potential home seller about their property, I’ll typically ask them right off the bat if they have any specific questions themselves. Often, they respond by saying they don’t really know what to ask. To ensure that you’re a more informed and well-represented home seller, today I’ll share some questions that will be very important for you to ask your agent when it comes time for you to list your own home. 1. “What can I expect in terms of communication?” Are you the type of person who only wants your agent to call you if you have an offer, or would you like regular updates from your agent? Also, be sure to ask how your agent plans to communicate buyer feedback to you. 2. “What specific information can you share about the market?” Asking about current trends and conditions in the market is a good way to determine if now is a good time to sell. It will also help you find any available opportunities as far as competition from other sellers goes. 3. “What type of buyer will I get?” Having a grasp of what type of activity you can expect and from which demographics will help you to better market your home. 4. “Should I stage my house?” Staging can definitely help you sell your home, so be sure to ask a professional home stager’s advice about whether you should repaint, recarpet, or do other projects to make your home shine before going to market. Trying to save a few dollars by paying a lower commission could end up costing you more in the end. After all, you get what you pay for. 5. “What is the state of financing like?” Ask your agent about what hurdles or opportunities there are in the way of financing your next home purchase so that you can be prepared in advance. 6. “How will you price my property?” There are a lot of factors that go into determining the value of a property, so ask about the agent’s methodology. 7. “What’s the expected timeline?” Closely related to pricing your home, it’s also important to know how long you’ll be expected to wait before the home sells. Knowing this can help you time the process, including when to seek pre-approval, when to stage your home, etc. 8. “What is your track record as far as sales?” Obviously, you want to work with an agent who has a good track record for selling homes and who will bring real value to the table. I will caution you, however, to be wary of agents who offer cheap services—trying to save a few dollars by paying a lower commission could end up costing you more in the end. After all, you get what you pay for. Hopefully, today’s message has been helpful to you! If you have any further questions about this or other real estate topics, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you.