8 Critical questions to ask your realtor before listing

*Are you a expert in this neighborhood?

You need a realtor that knows the neighborhood and can sell to potential buyers.

*What type of advertising and marketing do you provide for your clients?

A good agent will have a list of marketing tools available: flyer's, a web site, print advertisements, newsletters, photo tours and so on.


The best way to sell your home is to have a realtor that will price it right, get it to escrow quickly and painlessly, and most important get it closed

*Are you available via cell phone or email?

When time is money both source of communication is critical. Ask how often he/she checks email and how early or late you can call. Getting in touch with a agent during your most convenient times may be important to you.

*Do you work on weekends?

Your agent must be holding a open house every weekend when the buyers are out there on Saturdays or Sundays or even both. If the agent works with a assistant the assistant may also hold the open house, as long as one is being held.

*What do you charge for commission and is it negotiable?

You are probably wondering why did I put negotiable on there as a agent. The truth is commissions are negotiable if you do not already know that. Six percent is the industry standard, you guys are probably thinking I am going to ask for three percent. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! money motivates people who do you know that is not motivated by money. The realtor that comes in charging you three percent or less do you think they are going to put the same amount of effort in marketing like the agent who is getting six percent or more, I do not think so. For those of you who have your own business you are aware that marketing does not come cheap, and you want your home to get full exposure.

*Do you provide a report or worksheet of your work?

What I mean by that, a good agent should be providing you with a worksheet or report weekly with information about the activities that is going on with your house.

*What should I do to my house to get it sold faster?

This question may seem crazy but it should be asked before the agent gets the listing. No home is the same everyone puts there personal touch into there house. Unless your home is perfect and when you walk into the office it is immaculate, your realtor should offer advice on improvements that should be done. If the house is vacant; stage it, if the bathroom needs a little touch; do it. These questions and more are what the realtor should be telling you. If you know your house does not look good and he/she has nothing to say move on to the next realtor.

*How will you price my house?

Everyone wants top dollar for their house. Your realtor will give you a CMA(Comparative Market Analyze) that will show what the average range of homes are selling for in the neighborhood from highest to lowest. If your house is price to high it will never sell and if someone does provide a offer it will be lower than what you are selling it for. Pricing your home is important, (I will speak more about pricing in another post) if the comps in the the area are no more than $400,000 please do not think you can get $450,000 for your house. Do not let your realtor tell you that you can and if they do they should be able to explain why.


Even though I have provide 8 critical questions to ask your realtor I would like to provide questions to ask yourself when interviewing the realtor. Just because the commission is three percent and your excited about saving some money do you really want your house to sit on the market for months and not getting the full exposure. I made a statement early that money motivates people, but if you feel your realtor is all about the money move on to the next one. The realtor should be compassionate, committed, and interested about your thoughts and feelings. Lastly connect with your realtor and ask for a informational interview.