When home owners list their home for sale with a Real Estate Agency, the relationship with the particular Agent he/she chooses is very important. The home owner and the Agent need to share complete trust with regard to the process of selling the home.

Consider this…when a home owner lists his home for sale with an Agent, the homeowner has entrusted that Agent with what amounts to his most expensive possession. It is imperative that your Agent be aware of the great faith and trust you have shown in his/her ability to market your home. Your Agent should be willing to handle this obligation with the same great care and concern they would have if they were listing their own home for sale. It is extremely important that you feel excellent rapport with your Agent and that it continues throughout the entire process. When you and your Agent sit down at the negotiation table to discuss an offer received to buy your home, you should have no doubt that he/she is totally knowledgeable, trustworthy and able to give you the best advice regarding the fairness of offers received and the acceptability of a contract. You should expect your Listing Agent to guide you in negotiating every offer to your complete satisfaction.

Since listing a property is the best option for a Real Estate Agent to earn a commission, why is it that not all Agents enjoy being a Listing Agent? The answer is because LISTING IS HARD WORK IF IT’S DONE RIGHT. However, there are some Agents who just list a home for sale, put it on Multiple Listing, and the homeowner never hears from them again. If a contract is obtained, of course, the home owner will hear from the Agent only for the purpose of negotiating the contract. Is that the type of Agent relationship a home owner wants? Not on your life!

So what should you look for when you hire a Real Estate Agent? First and foremost, the individual Agent is far more important to the process than the Real Estate Agency which he/she represents. The Agency will place advertisements of the home for sale as well as list the home on Multiple Listing Services so that all targeted Realtors and Agents are aware of the home’s availability, and the rest of the process is handled by the individual Agent.

What should a good listing Agent do for you? Your Listing Agent should work on your listing from the point of acquiring the listing to the closing and thereafter, if necessary, with the same intensity and determination. Your Listing Agent should develop and nurture your relationship so that you enjoy excellent rapport with each other, so that you are both on the same page with regard to all aspects of your ongoing selling process, including contract negotiations. He/she should also make certain that, after every showing of your property, you are contacted and informed of the results, good, bad or indifferent. He/she should also call you at least twice a week to keep you updated as to the activity on your home and, if there have not been any showings that week, he/she should still get in touch with you to ensure that you know he/she is still working for you. Other reasons for your Agent to call are: (1) to inform you about future advertisements; (2) to obtain your approval of “Open House” dates being planned for your home and (3) anything else that concerns your listing. You should have so much confidence in your Listing Agent that, should the first listing term expire, you would never think of changing to another Real Estate Agent to handle the job for you. That confidence will be there if the Realtor you hired has done their job thoroughly by staying in touch and keeping you informed every step of the way.

The best Agent will not abandon you once you’ve signed a contract for the sale of your home. The servicing of this listing and the obligation your Agent has to you is far from over at this point. It is your Agent’s obligation to make certain that all of the inspections are being done as per the contract; that the mortgage has been applied for and that any other contingencies in the contract are being met according to the terms agreed upon.

When the inspections are completed, your Agent is responsible for following up to make certain that the reports are completed in a timely manner. Your Agent should also follow up on the progress of the mortgage commitment to ensure that it is completed by the contract date. You, the homeowner, should be able to feel relaxed with the knowledge that your Agent is taking care of everything, right up to the closing, which he/she should attend with you. Only then is your Agent’s job completed. However, you should certainly feel welcome to call your Agent, even after the closing, if you have something you wish to discuss.

The best advice I can give a homeowner who is considering hiring an Agent is to interview each one you are considering and ask for specific details as to how he/she intends to service your listing from beginning to end. You will be surprised at the varied responses you will get but now, afer reading this article, you know what the responses should include. An informed homeowner is a happy home seller when it comes to hiring that person to do the job right.

During your interview with each Agent, ask for a Comparative Market Analysis for your property. The CMA is a report in which several homes, similar to yours and in your area, which have recently sold, are compared with your home. The purpose is to provide the home owner with a selling price for their home which is based upon fair market value. This is the selling price that will appear on the Multiple Listing Services and it is the price upon which offers to purchase are based.

A realistic asking price based upon the current real estate market is your best opportunity to create many showings and fair offers as quickly as possible. The Agent you hire to market your property should be someone who has answered all of your questions to your complete satisfaction and whose personality is compatible with yours since this Agent will be a part of your life for a period of at least a few months. The CMA this Agent provides for you should include a competitive selling price that is going to produce the results you want.

Each Agent you interview will very likely present a range of selling prices where they feel your home belongs although some will give you an exact figure. DO NOT make the mistake of hiring your Agent based upon the highest selling price suggested. If the price is too high, prospective buyers will not be inclined to make an offer and many potential purchasers will not want to see your home for that reason. Also, the number of agents who will show your home at the inflated price will be less. Valuable time will be lost in the process. You will be forced to reduce your asking price after a few weeks in order to be competitive and generate more showings. Although you have an emotional connection to your home, you have to realize that this is just business to a prospective purchaser and his/her Agent. Your selling price must be on target!

A frequent question asked by home sellers is what advantage is there in hiring an Agency with multiple offices, both in and out of the home’s area as opposed to Agencies having one or few offices. The answer to that question is that, while it sounds impressive to a home owner when an Agency has many offices, the Agencies with one or few offices provide the same exposure to the public for your listing through advertising and listing your home on the Multiple Listing Services. The information about your home is available to all Realtors in the System, including local, out of the area and nationwide. If an Agent in California, for example, reads about your home in an out of state brochure or on the NJ Multiple Listing System, all he/she need do is contact the office advertising your home and a showing of your home to their customer will be handled by your single office Agency at a convenient time for the client. When you interview the Agents under consideration, be sure to ask about where they will advertise your home and the benefits they expect from advertising in that area.

Another point that is of concern to home sellers is why some Realtors are willing to offer a discounted commission to them and how the low rate of commission impacts on the selling process. Of course being told by a Realtor that you will be charged a lower commission rate upon the sale of your home is very appealing. However, it is important to read the paper the Broker will give you which explains how the commission is paid to your Buyer’s Agency and the Sales Associate who brings the Buyer to the table (as a rule, the Agency splits their commission 50/50 with the Sales Associate). As you know, Real Estate Agents work strictly on commission. Therefore, a lower rate to the Buyer’s Agency means the Agent must perform the same work for less pay. Naturally, it makes sense for an Agent to show homes where the commission he will earn is higher. Bear in mind that when you choose a Discount Broker to sell your home, the commission breakdown will be very important and can have an influence on how many Agents show your home.

Now let’s discuss hiring your friend, the Real Estate Agent, to list your home. The number one drawback is that your friend is not going to feel comfortable telling you what you need to hear in order to list your home at a competitive rate. The second drawback is that your friend is less likely to be objective. He/she will not want to damage your personal relationship by giving you any information that could possibly cause you to find fault with how he/she is handling the marketing of your home. In addition, if your friend’s Real Estate Office is out of the area, this is also a negative as your friend is less likely to be familiar with the town in which you live. It is much better to keep your personal life separated from your business life, particularly when trying to sell your home.

Last but certainly not least, you need to hire an Agent who is knowledgeable about the area in which your home is located. The Agent has to be able to speak with confidence and experience about the important features available to home owners in your area, such as local government, property taxes, schools, recreational and dining establishments, etc., in order to get a prospective client excited about the area as well as about your home.

Knowledge is power and your newfound knowledge about how Real Estate Agents work and what to look for will help you to choose the best Agent who will get the job done to your complete satisfaction and in the least amount of time possible.