Jacksonville FL Real Estate Update

Selling a home involves many critical and personal decisions. However, one of the most important decisions is the first decision you need to make -- a decision that impacts your entire home sale:  Which real estate agent should you work with?

 Unfortunately, many people make this decision based on the idea that all real estate agents are basically the same. They sign with the first agent to come along, only to realize too late that they should have shopped around.

Start by asking your friends and family for the names of agents they know. Look around your neighborhood for the signs, ads and marketing materials of active agents in the neighborhood. Check the internet for agents who know the value and power of internet marketing. Once you’ve compiled a list of several names, ask questions - lots of questions.

One of the best you can ask before you ever even meet in person is,

 “Could you send me some information about yourself?”

You can often get a good idea of which agents are most professional and most committed by looking at their personal marketing materials, brochures, direct mail, listing presentation book, etc. "Personal" means stuff they developed (or had developed) for themselves - not the stuff they get from their office and/or franchise brokerage.

Call each name on your list and ask them to send out any information they can before you actually meet with them for a listing presentation. When you get the personal brochure or other materials, look them over and determine your initial impression of this person.

Are the materials they presented professional?  Are the materials they presented  unique and personal – or are they materials that their parent company put together for any agent to use?

”If they don’t have the wherewithal to properly market themselves, how will they know how to  market my home?”

Also, keep track of how quickly and efficiently they respond to your request for information. Are they friendly and helpful, or just pushy and hungry for a listing?  Does this seem like someone you’d be interested in talking with? If they aren’t organized and professional enough to respond promptly to your first request to find out more about them, they’ll probably handle potential buyers for your home the same way.  If you like the way they respond to you and are impressed with the information they supply, call them and invite them to make a listing presentation to you.  It’s always a good practice to meet with more than one potential agent before making a final decision -- usually three to five for sellers.  

Just make sure that you don’t meet with more than one from the same company. This could cause internal strife which would be counterproductive in marketing your home.

For 24 other questions you should ask, visit our website.