Choosing a Realtor

[Carrie12345]

The real estate industry is basically frozen here until at least the beginning of June. (Unless you were already an active buyer or seller before the shut down.) We would really like to move (locally) in the fall.

We know a few agents, but one is retiring, I don’t particularly like another, and a third is pretty new to the whole thing.  With so much uncertainty swirling around the future of real estate, I want to work with the savviest realtor possible. But I’m not really sure how one goes about determining who that is!  Any special tips?

[Lady Florida.]

Well, I'm the wrong person to answer because I'm not happy with our realtor. Or maybe I'm the right one because I can tell you what not to do lol. In her defense Covid 19 made a mess of things, but other houses around us are selling while ours isn't even being shown. We put it on the market right before everything blew up. We're stuck with her until mid-June because we have the standard 3 month contract. We're already looking for someone else for when the contract is up.

I'd recommend getting one who will aggressively market your house, not just put it up on the MLS and forget about it, hoping other realtors will do their work for them. I fear that's what happened to us. Ask for recommendations from as close to your area as possible. See what houses sold in your neighborhood fastest and find out who sold them. Our realtor is from within our county but a different city. She sold the house next door to us so we thought she knew the area better than she does. She was also recommended by someone in the sales office of our new subdivision.

Other than aggressive marketing and knowing your neighborhood well, I don't know what else to suggest. One who will do open houses? That's not something we can have currently due to Covid but maybe by fall it will be okay. Ours did say once our house is empty she has a company that's staging "safe" open houses in unoccupied homes. (We closed on our new house yesterday and are in the process of moving)

[Slache]

In my experience not liking a realtor isn't an issue. They're all liars. Pick a well established one who communicates well and call it good.

[Lady Florida.]

19 minutes ago, Slache said:

In my experience not liking a realtor isn't an issue. They're all liars.

I actually like ours as a person. She's personable (not all are), open, and friendly. I don't think she's a liar, nor are all realtors. They're sales people so they talk in a way that they hope will make you want to buy what they're selling. Ours has an outgoing personality that can't be faked. While I like her personally, I don't like what I believe to be the poor job she's doing marketing our house.

Edited May 13, 2020 by Lady Florida.

[Arctic Bunny]

One who will be brutally honest with you. If you change x and y, we can sell it faster/for more money/etc.

[Bootsie]

First, I would consider what is most important to me.  Is selling quickly important?  Is getting top dollar important, even if it means taking longer to sell?  Different realtors have different strengths.

Second, I would look at the online listings, paying particular attention to the pictures.  We were recently in the market to buy a house.  We noticed some realtors consistently had great, flattering pictures of homes that made us want to see the house (and often looked better than the actual house once we saw it) and others had poor quality pictures.  Online pictures are the first impression for many home shoppers today.  

Third, ask friends for recommendations.  Be sure to ask what they liked or didn't like about their broker.  As potential brokers specifically what their plan for marketing and pricing your house is.  Also, ask them what they see as their strength and want differentiates them from other brokers.  I would listen closely for clues as to how well a broker might handle negotiations or hiccups in the process.  One of the most valuable things about a broker is one who can get things smoothed over whenever a buyer panics over something that comes up on an inspection report or has second thoughts for other reasons.

[Carrie12345]

58 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Other than aggressive marketing and knowing your neighborhood well, I don't know what else to suggest. One who will do open houses? That's not something we can have currently due to Covid but maybe by fall it will be okay.

Open houses aren’t really a thing around here to begin with, so I guess that could be good. Or bad, lol.
(Most homes are in private communities with big restrictions on open houses, including mine. We’re allowed to have 1. Which means nobody goes random “peeking” on weekends.)

[Carrie12345]

20 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

First, I would consider what is most important to me.  Is selling quickly important?  Is getting top dollar important, even if it means taking longer to sell?  Different realtors have different strengths.

Second, I would look at the online listings, paying particular attention to the pictures.  We were recently in the market to buy a house.  We noticed some realtors consistently had great, flattering pictures of homes that made us want to see the house (and often looked better than the actual house once we saw it) and others had poor quality pictures.  Online pictures are the first impression for many home shoppers today.  

Third, ask friends for recommendations.  Be sure to ask what they liked or didn't like about their broker.  As potential brokers specifically what their plan for marketing and pricing your house is.  Also, ask them what they see as their strength and want differentiates them from other brokers.  I would listen closely for clues as to how well a broker might handle negotiations or hiccups in the process.  One of the most valuable things about a broker is one who can get things smoothed over whenever a buyer panics over something that comes up on an inspection report or has second thoughts for other reasons.

I had been toying with doing real estate photography because the vast majority of listings in our area have pictures that aren’t worth a dang.  I’m interested in seeing realtors’ reactions when I bring up taking my own photos!

Aside from that demand, I hope our circumstances excite them. We just want to get out of our house without losing more money. If they can sell it, we can buy a much more expensive house through them!  But our market is pretty yucky to begin with, so it wouldn’t be easy.

[Scarlett]

My advise is to not use a realtor.  In this day and age I believe they are becoming obsolete.  My apologies to those who make their living that way.  
 

 

[itsheresomewhere]

Don’t go with anyone who recommends a ton of things to “fix/upgrade” to attract more buyers.  You will rarely make that money back.  We are watching two neighbors make this mistake and are learning they will never get that money back.  Take a look at listings near you and see how they are ( photo quality, how the ads are worded, days on markets) by each realtor you are considering.  One realtor in my town is obsessed with doing those weird photos that look like the object is in a bubble. Her avg on selling is longer than others.  

[teachermom2834]

Last time we sold we had to go through a relocation company so we were limited to their affiliated realtors. One we called was from another town nearly 45 minutes away. The second I had already determined that I was going to hire. She was a native of the town we were selling in and a long time local realtor so I assumed she had more local knowledge.

Well we interviewed them both because that was required by the relocation company. The first lady (from out of town) was really sharp. She was blunt about our home but not unkind. Our house was in need of alot of updates. Like this was in 2015 and we still had avocado appliances so she was blunt about that being an issue and needing to be factored into pricing. But she was prepared and serious and wanted to sell our house.

The second lady (who I expected to like and want to hire) just didn't act like she wanted to sell our house. She went on and on about the issues and wanted to price really really low and just acted like no one would ever buy our house and it appeared she wasn't that interested in selling it. 

We went with the first lady and she was awesome. Very aggressive and organized and she had the house sold in less than two weeks. Avocado appliances and all. I was a little intimidated by her because she was very aggressive but she did a great job for us. All that to say I am glad we were forced to interview two otherwise I would have gone with the pessimistic realtor I had decided on paper was the right one for us. So I will in the future go with someone who really wants to sell my house. 

Also, pictures. Some realtors can make anything look great in those photos. We have had that both times we sold. The first house we sold was an old, outdated starter house. It had lots of issues. It was purchased (in 5 days!) by a married couple. The husband came out and looked but the wife was afraid to fly so she just looked at the pictures. I felt so bad knowing she was not getting what the pictures sold. Some realtors really have the photography down to an art. 

Also, as I have mentioned both of our homes needed lots of upgrades, etc. We went with realtors that didn't push us to fix anything or do anything other than straighten up for pictures. In the price range we were in we were going to be selling to folks that, like us, needed space and a neighborhood more than the latest updates. I could never have fixed our houses up enough to appeal to the higher end buyer. So, it was appropriate to price well and just sell them as what they were. Not everyone can afford a house with all the upgrades and we sold both of ours quickly by appealing to the lower end buyers in the area and not trying to fix things up much. 

[Scarlett]

15 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

Last time we sold we had to go through a relocation company so we were limited to their affiliated realtors. One we called was from another town nearly 45 minutes away. The second I had already determined that I was going to hire. She was a native of the town we were selling in and a long time local realtor so I assumed she had more local knowledge.

Well we interviewed them both because that was required by the relocation company. The first lady (from out of town) was really sharp. She was blunt about our home but not unkind. Our house was in need of alot of updates. Like this was in 2015 and we still had avocado appliances so she was blunt about that being an issue and needing to be factored into pricing. But she was prepared and serious and wanted to sell our house.

The second lady (who I expected to like and want to hire) just didn't act like she wanted to sell our house. She went on and on about the issues and wanted to price really really low and just acted like no one would ever buy our house and it appeared she wasn't that interested in selling it. 

We went with the first lady and she was awesome. Very aggressive and organized and she had the house sold in less than two weeks. Avocado appliances and all. I was a little intimidated by her because she was very aggressive but she did a great job for us. All that to say I am glad we were forced to interview two otherwise I would have gone with the pessimistic realtor I had decided on paper was the right one for us. So I will in the future go with someone who really wants to sell my house. 

Also, pictures. Some realtors can make anything look great in those photos. We have had that both times we sold. The first house we sold was an old, outdated starter house. It had lots of issues. It was purchased (in 5 days!) by a married couple. The husband came out and looked but the wife was afraid to fly so she just looked at the pictures. I felt so bad knowing she was not getting what the pictures sold. Some realtors really have the photography down to an art. 

Also, as I have mentioned both of our homes needed lots of upgrades, etc. We went with realtors that didn't push us to fix anything or do anything other than straighten up for pictures. In the price range we were in we were going to be selling to folks that, like us, needed space and a neighborhood more than the latest updates. I could never have fixed our houses up enough to appeal to the higher end buyer. So, it was appropriate to price well and just sell them as what they were. Not everyone can afford a house with all the upgrades and we sold both of ours quickly by appealing to the lower end buyers in the area and not trying to fix things up much. 

This a great post. 
 

Look at lots and lots of houses for sale.  Online.  And drive the neighborhood where you live looking FSBO and see what they are asking....I really believe the trick is to know the market you are  in both in selling and buying. 

[Carrie12345]

19 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

 

Look at lots and lots of houses for sale.  Online.  And drive the neighborhood where you live looking FSBO and see what they are asking....I really believe the trick is to know the market you are  in both in selling and buying. 

I’ve been obsessively stalking local real estate for years, so I do feel like I have an excellent handle on how things *have been*, but I’m definitely worried about what they might be like next, with the economy getting all out of whack.

On the positive side, I’m looking to offload a *very* affordable abode. But it could easily become a dime a dozen again, which is what happened in the last recession.  If lots of city people are looking to move to the country or have a back up home, it might not be so bad. If everyone’s afraid of spending money on real estate... not so much.  Sigh.

[prairiewindmomma]

I did a really long post about this a couple of years ago (how to choose a realtor), but I can't find it now.  Essentially: professional photos and listing (like, I want the lighting kit and touchups), specific marketing plan, and good communication about showings/feedback from people who walk through, etc.  I tend to go with larger agencies because they have weekly luncheons where they discuss new properties coming onto the market so I know already that I have a few dozen realtors who are familiar with my house and are going through their lists of clients who are looking. 

How coronavirus is affecting the market:  pricing is going to really matter. It will depend on the local market vibe and how secure people are feeling.  My neighbor still sold her house in two weeks--a bit slow for our usual market, but things are still moving in our area if they are priced correctly.

[Bootsie]

Another thing I would consider is whether the realtor is part of a larger group where someone can take over parts of the paperwork if need be.  For the last home we bought, the seller's broker had a death in the family and left town quickly and unexpectedly.  If it were not for the fact that our realtor was persistent and bent over backwards and we were very motivated buyers, the delays and unresponsiveness by the seller's broker may have resulted in our moving on to another property.

[school17777]

I’m an admin for realtors for the past year for an international brokerage firm.  What I have learned over the past year, is    the price is most important, the commission your realtor is going to pay to the selling realtor, and your pictures.  
 

As far as marketing, most of that happens automatically now as soon as the listing is set to coming soon and/or active - the listing feeds into the different online sites.  At this point with the internet, buyers are finding the houses they want to see online on their own, so the price is important for the house to show up in their search and then your pictures are the first impression.  It’s amazing the difference in the quality of pictures can make.  Make sure your realtor is offering to provide professional pictures.  If they say they are a professional photographer, you can verify the quality of their past listing pictures by looking through them.

Realtors can charge different % fees (plus broker fees), at least in the two states our realtors work in.  So, make sure you know how much the realtors you interview are charging and how much they are sharing with the selling agent - not all split equally and that can affect your sale, if they offer less than the going “rate”.

If you price above market value, unless in a seller’s market, that may leave your house sitting longer.  It may also give buyers the impression that you are unrealistic about what your house is worth and they may not to bother negotiating with you.

[Wildcat]

18 hours ago, school17777 said:

 At this point with the internet, buyers are finding the houses they want to see online on their own, so the price is important for the house to show up in their search and then your pictures are the first impression.  It’s amazing the difference in the quality of pictures can make.  Make sure your realtor is offering to provide professional pictures.  If they say they are a professional photographer, you can verify the quality of their past listing pictures by looking through them.

The thread has a lot of good info in it but I just wanted to add my two cents to the quoted post about photos. We are currently house shopping.

Definite yes to professional photographer. Aerial/drone shots are good to help look around the property & surrounding area. Also, make sure the photos present a realistic look at your house.

What I mean by that is that while some photo tweaking will be done, make sure it's not too much. We have looked at so.many.houses that look nothing like their photos and we're pissed. Pissed to the point that when I see obviously, overly-retouched photos on a listing, we automatically close the tab. I'm talking about photos taken with such a wide lens that the houses seem so much bigger than they really are, photos that are 'lightened' by a factor of X and when you get inside, the house is dark and dingy. I'm talking about photos that look like they were taken through a filter of either gold or gray and have really weird lighting in them. I'm also talking about the stupid photos that add the starburst to every freaking light bulb in every freaking room. All of that is a huge turn off. 

People look online to get a feel for the home before viewing. If the photos aren't as close to 'real' as possible, with just a bit of tweaks to help out those rooms where the light is fine in person but looks odd in photos (please tell me we weren't the only ones with rooms like that!!)  you won't get a second visit because it's a huge let down to walk into a house expecting X but seeing Z. House shopping is tiring both physically and emotionally and you want to make it a good experience when people see & visit your home. Can you tell I'm emotionally fried from all the time we have spent looking at houses and being let down because of the difference between photos and reality? It feels like false advertising and I don't go for that.

OP, to answer your question, though, we saw whose signs were most often in the yards of the houses in our neighborhood and on similarly-priced houses and interviewed a couple. We went with who we "clicked with'... meaning someone who was personable as a sales person (one guy was a bit sour, one seemed a bit spacey/flighty, one gave off the feel of a used car salesman etc). The contenders were ones who were business-like but personable. More than 5 years in the business with recent (6-7 months) sales. Stuff like that. You want someone you feel comfortable talking to because you'll talk to him/her a lot and if you aren't comfortable with your realtor, you won't know if their advice is good (lower the price, fix or repaint this thing, this is a good offer/you can do better). Things like that.