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We want to sell our house. Need help re: realtors?
We have outgrown our house. We want out!! We bought in 2005, sunk more money into this thing than we could ever hope to recoup back.... but at this point, if we could sell for even close to what we bought it for, we would walk away with some money back to put down on a new house. (Bought for 175k, hoping to sell for 170k, but more realistically, 160 or possibly even slightly less).
We have spent the last 2 months decluttering. We're almost there.
We're thinking that at this point, we should bring in a realtor (or a few) to meet with us, look over our home, tell us what they could sell this place for, etc etc. (and most importantly WHEN we should place this home on the market) But we're not sure how to go about it, and we've never sold a house before.
How do you go about choosing a realtor to sell your house?
When do you interview/meet with realtors? Do you call them first, email them first, or walk into their office first? And do they come to your house?
Please guide me here.
TIA!
Re: We want to sell our house. Need help re: realtors?
I researched and found three realtors I was interested in talking to. I set up appointments and they came out to the house, walked around, and basically sold me on their services. All three came prepared with comps and an approximately price to list. I just really clicked with one of them more than the other two. With the market being so bad I wanted someone who would agressively market the house and move it fast since we were moving out of state. He was the chairman of the local realtor association and had 20 years experience.
He also had in his contract that if I was unhappy with his service at any time I could cancel with no penalty and switch to someone else. This said a lot to me. He also discounted his comission if he was a dual agent which some don't do.
Once we signed they brought in a stager that made a bunch of recommendations and I just followed her around and made notes of everything she said. We then did everything she suggested and our house looked AMAZING!! I almost didn't want to leave! I just felt like he brought a lot more to the table than the other two.
Ask your friends for recs. If they don't have any, check the paper and the MLS to see who's selling homes in your neighborhood - agents specialize. (There's one agent who lists 50% or more of the homes on our side of town that are like ours - you know that if you're looking over here or wanting to sell, you call this guy.)
You call them. They'll come to the house, look around, and tell you what the other homes have sold for recently and what you can expect to sell for. They should also tell you how long you can expect to be on the market.
Pick the person you feel comfortable with. NEVER hire an agent you don't click with. The professional RE relationship is stressful, so someone you don't click with will only be more difficult to work with when your house has been on the market for 6 months with no bites.
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Thinking of doing cosmetic updates to a dated home? These were our costs.
Three people I know had used our realtor with great results for both selling and buying. We made an appointment with her to come over and discuss our options. We totally clicked with her right away and decided we wanted to list with her. If I hadn't known people who had used her services with such great success, we would have interviewed more realtors before deciding who to list with, but the references from people we know well and meeting with her were enough for us in our situation.
The agents will pull comps and come up with what price your home can go for. Unfortunately, most/many people who bought within the past decade are in the situation were they will sell their home for a significant loss, even with money put in. The good news is that on the buying side, your $$ will go further than it did the last time you purchased a home.
I agree with the PP's...interview a few of them, get recs from friends/family and see who you click with. Hopefully you're somewhere with lots of options. We found our realtor via family. She's awesome. Easy to talk to, good sense of humor, smart and good at her job...and NORMAL. I always like "normal"! LOL
Good luck! I'm sure you'll find someone!
I was just going to post this! Good pictures make a BIG difference. I think you can tell a lot just by looking at how a Realtor puts together a listing.
Hi! I'm a Realtor in California so I thought I'd offer a few thoughts from my experiences.
Absolutely call and interview a few Realtors in your area. It is so important that you find someone that you feel comfortable with and that shares a similiar communication style as you. As a Realtor, we are all licensed by the state to do the same job but to me the value comes in the Realtors experience in the market and their ability to manage the process well. Which brings me to communication - the process of selling a home takes a great deal of coordination with many moving parts so being able to communicate with a variety of people is essential. It is important for me to be able to communicate well with the clients so they understand what is going on at each step in the process, why we are making the decisions we are in terms of strategy and marketing and it is important that I can communicate with all the other people involved in the transaction (escrow officer, lender, inspectors, buyers agents, contractors, etc).
Ask your friends and family for referrals. Nothing beats hearing about someone elses experience with a Realtor. I also recommend visiting open houses in your area. I think this is a great way to meet active Realtors and get to know them in a casual setting. If someone stands out, set up a meeting. I suggest letting the Realtors know that you are interviewing a few Realtors prior to making a decision.
Also, the size of the company and the Realtors sales numbers don't really matter that much. You want an agent with experience but the top producer may not always be the best Realtor in your area, they just have better marketing. Think about what you want from the Realtor, how much time and attention do you think you'll need. In regards to the size of the company, it matters very little. Every Realtor has access to the exact same MLS. Maybe a small or midsize company is a better fit for you, maybe its a large one. But really everyone works together, I don't decide what property I will show based on which company has the listing.
Everyone will try to impress you with their experience, their marketing wizardry and their technical know how. All these are important factors but if you aren't comfortable working with them, if you don't trust them to treat you (and others) fairly and if you don't feel that they will work hard for you, none of that stuff matters. Remember, you will be working closely together for an extended time and involving very important legal and financial decisions.
Well, I hope this helps. Find someone you feel good about. There are lots of great Realtors out there and you deserve to have one working for you!
Good luck!
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