15 Questions to ask Real Estate Broker before listing
I am compelled to write this instructional to allow all sellers to get more in depth look into what to ask prospective listing broker. Most of my seller clients generally ask what a property can sell for, what commission my firm charges and, if I am lucky, a couple of screening questions. As a seasoned professional I welcome tough questions, and would like to arm YOU with a list of questions you can comfortably ask a broker.
The first five questions I consider a BASELINE SCREEN:
- Do you do real estate full time? Full Time is a key word!
- How long have you been doing real estate full time?
- Do you and how do you cooperate with competing agencies?
- Can you provide client references? Most recent would be most preferred. (Published Reviews may prove useful)
- What Multiple Listing Service (MLS) affiliations do you have, and why are they important?
Next five establish the workflow and sets servicing expectations.
- Can I please see samples of your web and print marketing for similar properties?
- What would be your marketing strategy for this property?
- How often do you intend to hold open houses, if any?
- How often do you follow up with your seller clients to provide a showing report and feedback?
- How do you define your role after there is an accepted offer? Servicing post contract is often left out, but is highly important.
The last five answer the basic questions:
- What’s your take on our local market?
- What price would you suggest and WHY?
- What would be the fee for service?
- Are there any additional fees that we may be responsible for?
- How long is the Listing Agreement going to be in effect?
If you can think of any additional questions I would love to hear them, and it you think about asking these questions I would like you to think about which of the three categories that question may fit into. It is also important that you be able to get along with your broker. If you lay your foundation well, then you will start on a positive note and the results will follow.