10 Things to Ask Your Listing Agent

When selling your home, it’s important to enlist the help of a professional real estate agent who can effectively help you to navigate the ins and outs of the selling process. This is where a seasoned agent, backed by an award-winning brokerage, like the team at Royal LePage Your Community Realty will make all the difference. 

From an emotional standpoint, selling a property is so much more than a financial transaction when it is your own home, and it can be difficult to remain objective through the process. Here is where the right agent will be able to help you stay focused and separate the emotional from the transactional where needed. 

Deciding on the right real estate agent is a big part of the process, and here is where it is imperative that you do your due diligence in finding the right fit. 

As you narrow down your choices, there will be some key questions that you will need to ask in order to establish which realtor is best aligned with your real estate goals and can offer you the most value in their services.

Here are 10 questions to ask your listing agent before committing to their services: 

What is your experience in this neighbourhood?

The successful sale of your home will depend on many factors, one of which is your property’s ability to stand apart from other local comparable listings. The ideal listing agent for your property will have extensive knowledge of the area, including past sales, the current local market trends and an awareness of the type of buyer for the area. 

Moreover, an agent who is familiar with your area will likely also have previous sales in that pocket and access to local contacts. An agent with past exposure in an area will bring that familiarity to their dealings with local residents and other agents and will be an added bonus in their value to you overall. 

Can you provide past references or past client testimonials? 

An agent’s past references and client testimonials will give you some insight into how they work and, in the case of positive references, give you added peace of mind as to their work style and dedication to their role as your agent.

In an industry where there is no shortage of agents to choose from, it is up to you, the seller, to ensure you cross your T’s and dot your I’s when finding the right realtor for your needs. Hearing firsthand from past clients will go a long way to providing you with some insight as to what to expect in working with this realtor. 

What is your marketing strategy? 

Your listing agent’s marketing strategy will help paint a picture of how they plan to present and sell your property. Their marketing plan should outline for you everything from their plan for marketing materials to online advertising, their plans for exposing your property to the most qualified buyers as possible, and everything else that comes with effectively marketing your property. 

What separates you from other realtors? 

This is a great question because it puts a potential realtor in the hot seat of letting you know exactly what sets them apart. For a seasoned realtor with an effective and proven selling strategy, this question presents an excellent opportunity for an agent to share their value-added services and benefits with you. 

When describing what sets them apart, look for comments on things like past sales records, value-added services, their degree of experience in not only the industry but in your type of property and area. 

How did you arrive at your suggested selling price?

In understanding how the realtor arrived at their suggested selling price, you will have some clarity as to how they have valuated your home. It also gives you a baseline to use as comparison between agents you are interviewing for your property. 

Remember, the suggested selling price is not set in stone - but it is advisable to consider the advice of your realtor, as they will be factoring past sales data, current comparables and more - which is info you will likely not have - and all works to establish a solid listing price that will put your property in the best position. 

What do I need to do to get my home ready to list? 

Selling your home will require many advance steps in preparation. From cleaning and minor renovations to staging, there will be different items on your to-do list ahead of listing your home. Your realtor will have the experience to know what to suggest as far as preparing your home for sale, as well as the resources to facilitate the process. 

Who do you think the buyer of my home will be? 

It’s important to ask your realtor who they believe your future buyer will be. When a realtor demonstrates an understanding of who they believe the buyer will be for a home, it shows a degree of research and expert insight. In having a clear image of who you think your buyer is, your agent will be able to design their sales and marketing strategy around this specific buyer pocket and significantly increase the chance of exposing your property to the most qualified buyers. 

How will you vet potential buyers for my home? 

Your realtor should be able to effectively vet potential buyers for your home in order to narrow down the buyer pool and minimize any wasted time spent on potential buyers who are neither serious nor qualified. 

What value-added services and network does your brokerage bring to the table? 

The realtor you choose to work with will be affiliated with a brokerage, and depending on the brokerage, this could prove to be a major value-added perk of working with that realtor. Some brokerages are more well-known than others and come with extensive brand recognition and customer loyalty. That familiarity will make the difference when it comes to things like sign recognition (believe it or not, when people recognize a logo on a “For Sale” sign, they are more likely to stop). At the end of the day, the sale of a home is the largest financial transaction that some most people will do in their lives.

Royal LePage Your Community Realty agents are backed by the oldest and largest Canadian-owned full-service real estate company in the country, Royal LePage under Canada’s largest independently-owned franchise, Your Community Realty. This translates to added benefits for sellers, including the instant recognition of a well-known brand, the added sense of trust in an established company and the knowledge that you as the seller have access to not only your agent’s resources and database, but the mass resources and reach of Canada’s most trusted name in real estate. 

What is your commission?

Money talks. But with that being said, it’s worth noting that you get what you pay for. There are many instances in life where it’s worth holding out for a “deal” - but enlisting someone to oversee the sale of your property is not the time to hold out for bargain prices as far as commission. 

Commission is a major part of the discussion, for sure, but don’t get caught up in the numbers game to where you lose sight of the bigger picture and the fact that more than cost, it is the quality of service.

You wouldn’t want to sacrifice the quality of service you are getting for a break in commissions because then you may end up paying for it in any missteps during the selling process. Remember, your realtor will be doing more than just uploading a listing. This person will have access to your home, will be responsible for contracts and important paperwork and be the one handling the negotiations at the offer table. All of this requires an experienced and professional real estate agent on deck to successful tackle every step of the selling process to your ultimate benefit. This is where your costs are put to work and will result in the best possible outcome. 

Royal LePage Your Community Realty is Canada’s largest independently-owned Royal LePage franchise, with over 1000 agents and 10 office locations to serve you and your clients. 

Contact us today to connect with a member of our team, who can provide you with everything you need to know about becoming part of Your Community Realty!

Curious to know more about the many communities that Your Community Realty serves? Check out our Community Information page for more information and active local property listings today!

Stay ahead by signing up for our new listings notifications today!