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I've been a REALTOR for a few years. There are only 2 or 3 agents that I
know(of hundreds) that I'd like to list my house! It is hard to tell who
is a hack and who isn't. Here is how *I* would weed out the bums....
1) Make an appointment to show the agent your home. Let him/her look at it
completely and then ask what they would do to present it best.
2) Ask a price and find out why they think. Great agents may not bring a big
list of comps... they know the area and do not have an hour to print a bunch
of BS every time they do a listing appointment. Comps are good, but a guy
that sells 2 houses a week may not do them. Kick around a price and ask how
fast you expect to sell if you overprice a little. A bad agent will kiss
your butt and overprice your home just get get a listing. Good agents that
sell listing won't bother to waste their time and advertising space.
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NOTE: Many sellers are delusionally high on their price. That is why houses
sit forever. It has nothing to do with advertising or the agent. Take an
HONEST look at your home and ask what you would pay. Is that finished
basement really worth that much? Is your new driveway really worth that
much? Many buyers have to go through a period delusion and expired listings.
The buyer will then go with another agent and blame the old ones. A strong
agent will tell it the way it is. Combined with the time pressure, most
buyers will finally understand that nobody will buy an overpriced home.
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3) I'd "test" the agent with some objections. The true salesman does not
give up on the first "No thanks, not signing today". I'd let the agent
do the listing presentation and then close on signing an listing agreement.
I'd then say "Oh, you are good. I had better think this over for a few
days, you see me and my wife always wait 48 hours before we sign something."
If the agent just agrees and leaves - bad agent!! How can this turkey sell
your house if he won't even handle your simple objection???
A good agent will say "Oh, I'd not sign anything unless I understood the
contract. Is there something specific about the listing agreement that
troubles you?" A good agent cannot afford to drive around and then walk away
with a maybe. Good sales people get a yes or a no. So rattle her with a few
roadblocks and see how it is handled.
I hope this helps.
"Spin" <Spin@spin.com> wrote in message
news:42hq79F1jageoU1@individual.net...
> Hi,
>
> I'm a 58-year widowed homeowner just looking for some information or
> guidelines. I hope you can help me. Is there is anything I should be
> aware of generally-speaking when signing a contract with the listing agent
> for the sale of a home. There must be caveats when a seller is listing
> their home with an agent ... what are they? For example, I want to make
> sure if I decide for whatever reason to take the house off the market I
> have the ability to do so. Also, if it turns out the broker isn't
> advertising the house well enough can I change to another agency i.e.,
> from Century 21 to Blue Horizon etc. Are there any pot holes on this road
> I'm on that I need to be aware of ... an informed seller has the power!
> Let me know your thoughts.
>
> --
> Spinster
>
>
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Re: Selling a home - caveats towards listing it
