Why do you like being a realtor?

This is a good question to ask for a few reasons. You should get a decent sense of what this agent is like and what motivates them and you may learn about who this person really is.  From there, you’ll decide if you like them or not and you might be able to tell if you can feel comfortable trust them with likely one of your most important assets. 

What are you going to do to sell my home?

There are a lot of bells and whistles out there; the real estate industry is full of them. Some skills and techniques may really work while others are just fluff.  Getting this type of information from the agent will give you an idea of what to expect from them when your home hits the market. It will also be good to compare their strategy versus others, assuming you are interviewing more than one realtor, which I strongly recommend.

What makes you different from other realtors?

This is always a good one and it sort of ties into the first question.  Like the first question, it gives you an idea of who they are and how they tick. Most people are looking for a certain type of realtor that they and their home will work well with. Getting this information upfront will help you figure out if the agent you’re interviewing is the right fit.

How many homes have you sold in my neighborhood and when?

For an agent to truly provide you with the best selling strategy, they have to know the area, understand your property, and have proven success locally. An agent that’s never sold a property in your neighborhood, or a property like yours, may not know the optimal way to market the property, when to look at offers, or at what price to recommend you list your home at.

How many offers do you expect my home to receive? And if there are multiple offers, what’s your strategy for handling that?

This question will expose their thought process and experience. You’ll be able to get an idea of what it might be like to work with this agent and have them negotiate on your behalf. This is the most important question as it shows their knowledge about the local market and how they might respond when you need them most.

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Cliff Whearley has been a resident of Redwood City for 23 years and is a Realtor at Dwell Realtors, Inc. If you have any real estate questions, he would love to help!