Agent Questions

Hiring the best service providers for jobs is important in virtually every context, whether it’s a dentist to clean your teeth, a roofer to repair or replace your roof or a mechanic to service your vehicle.

The consequences of hiring the wrong professional can vary based on the scenario and what they’re doing for you. Choosing the wrong real estate professional can potentially be ranked on the higher end of the monetary consequences scale.

If a mechanic messes up your oil change, you may have to spend an extra $75 to have someone else do it right. If you hire an inexperienced real estate agent who can’t properly market your home, attract good buyers, gather competing bids and negotiate preferential sales terms, you could lose out on tens of thousands of dollars. You also don’t want to have your house sitting on the market unoccupied for months at a time or deal with weekend after weekend of open houses or walkthroughs.

Any consultations you have with prospective service providers are essentially job interviews, and you should approach initial conversations with that outlook. That first discussion is your chance to vet the agent and ascertain not just their professional qualifications but their approach to their job and their attitude toward clients.

Company websites and curated biographies will always frame a professional’s experience and skills in the best possible light. Asking the right questions during a consultation is typically the best way to see past the public-facing veneer and gauge the true work ethic, effectiveness and commitment of the professional.

Questions to Ask Prospective Real Estate Agents

How long have you been selling homes?

Experience matters when it comes to selling homes quickly and for the best possible price. While new agents who don’t have years or decades of experience can potentially be effective home sellers, there’s a higher likelihood that a seasoned professional will have more and better local connections with buyer agents. They may also have more experience and knowledge on marketing strategies that work and ones that don’t, and how best to optimize marketing campaigns.

That being said, even the best, most experienced real estate agents were new at one point. There are new real estate professionals with a lot of potential, but there’s a better chance an experienced agent will maximize your home’s sale price and sell it quickly.

How many homes have you sold in my area?

A real estate agent’s experience in your area can be particularly valuable for house pricing and marketing. While any agent can look up local home sale prices, one who has sold many homes in the area will be intimately familiar with the local features and amenities that appeal to buyers and how best to reach the types of buyers who will most likely be interested in homes like yours.

How many home sellers or home buyers are you currently representing?

The real estate agent’s professional bandwidth, or how many clients they split their time between, can have a dramatic impact on their attentiveness and the efficacy of their service. An agent simultaneously representing many other home sellers may not have the time to properly market your home or communicate with prospective buyers.

An agent with no other clients may not be working full-time in real estate or have another job that’s their real priority. If an agent has many clients or another job, ask how much time they can dedicate to you.

Can you provide references from past clients?

Don’t be afraid to ask for references. Be wary if a real estate agent doesn’t want you to speak with past clients or doesn’t have any past clients to whom they can refer you. Every agent must start somewhere, but you may not want to be their very first client.

What sets you apart from other agents?

An agent should have a good answer to this question. Ask them to explain their process, how they leverage their professional network, the marketing tools they utilize, staging strategies they use and what other resources they bring to bear to get eyes on your house, drive interest and attract bids.

How do you handle negotiations?

Negotiation strategies can be vital when it comes to maximizing the sale price of your home. Can they play prospective buyers with competing offers against each other or get buyers to compromise on home improvements (like if they want you to reduce the asking price to compensate for the cost of needed roof or HVAC replacement)? An agent’s negotiation skills can result in thousands of dollars of difference in the ultimate sale price.

What unique challenges will my house face on the market?

A real estate agent should have the ability to clearly identify the strengths and weaknesses of your home and explain potential challenges and options on how you can address them. Their ability to assess those challenges, explain them to you and offer solutions can tell you a lot about their level of experience and commitment to honesty and transparency.

Do you work with any other professionals?

Real estate agents should have a professional network of partners they utilize for home sales. For example, they might have a professional stager, photographer or videographer they work with on some homes, or specific buyer agents they contact to drum up interest in new homes for sale. 

Work With Local Real Estate Experts With a Proven Record of Success

72SOLD partners with the best agents all across the country to ensure our system is executed by the most successful and brightest experts the industry has to offer. We thoroughly vet every real estate professional we collaborate with to ensure our clients have the opportunity to work with agents who know the local area and the common challenges home sellers face. Find out how we get clients higher offers faster than competing real estate companies.