A listing agent is an integral part of selling a home. It can be a very stressful experience as it can be a lot of work! Before the home is even listed for sale, a homeowner will need to address deferred maintenance and prepare the home for sale! Seller’s need to keep the home show ready, which might include cleaning the house, vacuuming, wiping down counters, cleaning up after pets that reside in the home and more!
Professionalism
Most sellers will assume that Realtors are professional, and not all are professional. A professional Realtor will schedule appointments and adhere to the schedule with respect to the other agents and homeowner’s time. Professional Realtors demonstrate qualities including honesty and integrity. Keeping their word is paramount, and doing what they said they are going to do! Realtors should also have a professional appearance and dressed appropriately.
Professional Photography
If the listing agent is a professional photographer and knows how to edit the photos, that is fantastic. Otherwise, they should hire a professional photographer to take the photos. Each shot should be staged, and photographers can adjust the lighting and contrast to the home is presented in the best possible light. Staging each shot takes time, but it makes a difference. If there is not a lot of clutter in the home, the photos end up looking amazing!
Your home has one chance to make a good first impression, and having excellent photography will invite potential buyers who view it online to want to come and view it in person!
Strong Negotiating Skills
A Real Estate agent is hired by a seller to sell the home and yield the highest sale’s price for the home in the shortest amount of time. The dialogue between the buyer’s agent and the listing agent is paramount when discussing offers and counteroffers. The listing agent should be able to articulate to a buyer’s agent the features of the home and recent comparable sales. The listing agent represents the seller’s best interests!
Your Realtor® Should Have Strong Negotiating Skills When Selling Your Home!Click To TweetCommunication
Establish the mode of communication right up front whether it be phone calls, text or email. There should be communication between the listing agent and the seller at least weekly to update the marketing activities the Real Estate agent has been doing, the showings and constructive feedback from the showings. Marketing activity might include running Facebook ads, boosting a listing with pay per click.
Strategic Marketing Plan
During a listing presentation, the seller should have a list of questions to ask the agent they are considering hiring to sell their home. This will help them to determine if they are hiring someone that they feel comfortable working with. The Real Estate agent should be able to demonstrate their marketing plan to the seller on how they plan to obtain maximum exposure in order to sell the home in the shortest amount of time!
Marketing includes internet marketing and sending out to social media on a consistent basis to ensure that the property is continued to be seen. Some of the social media sites may include Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and more. Having a dominant presence on social media sites results in the property being marketed to a great number.
Does Your Realtor Have a Dominant Social Media Presence?Click To TweetPricing the Home Correctly from the Start
This is really important. It is NEVER a good idea to “test” the market and price it too high! Just like with the photos, your house has one chance to have a great first impression, and the same goes for the price. If it is obviously priced above the market for the area, then you may be sending a message to buyers that you are going to be unreasonable to deal with! Don’t go with an agent who says your house is worth more than market value just because they want to get the listing!
Remember, unless your buyer is a cash buyer and has in the purchase contract, no appraisal, then the sales price is going to be subject to an appraisal! The appraiser comes out and measures the property and recent comparable sales as well. And then if it doesn’t appraise, the buyer can come back to you as the seller and ask for a reduction in the price!
Coordinate Showings
Once you have listed your home for sale and you are ready to be on the market, then it is important to determine the showings for the property. Decide if you are going to be utilizing an electronic lockbox on the property or not. A lockbox is a key safe and there are many different types including a combination style lockbox and electronic which is opened an iPhone or Android with an eKey app. I prefer the electronic or Supra lockboxes to the combination type as it records who has opened it and emails the listing agent.
The seller or tenant can also be in control of the lockbox, meaning it gets put out each time there will be a showing. This way, no unauthorized showings would occur. If there are tenants in the home, they will need to sign an Addendum that a lockbox is going to be utilized.
~Will You Have Open Houses?~
Other considerations with showings include as to whether or not a seller will want to have an open house or not! They do allow access to a home but are not necessary to sell a home. Open houses can result in opening up your home to the wrong people and there is a risk of theft.
With all showings and if there are open houses, the listing agent should keep a record of who has toured the property. This way if there is a price adjustment the listing agent can reach out to everyone who has shown interest in the property to inform them of a price change!
Manage Timelines
Once a property goes into escrow, the buyer has a certain number of days in the contract to perform their due diligence including a home inspection, any other inspections, review the disclosures, review CC&R’s and HOA documents (f the area has HOA). The listing agent works with escrow to ensure that the CC&R and HOA documents are delivered timely to the buyer. And the listing agent provides the seller’s with the disclosures to be completed and sent to the buyer within generally the first week a property is in escrow. The buyer also has a certain number of days to obtain loan approval. After these initial time periods are up, the listing agent will request that the buyer’s remove their contingencies.
Attend Home Inspection
The listing agent should be present and attend the home inspection on behalf of the seller. That way when a repair request comes in, the listing agent can explain to the seller what they are requesting. Then you will have to decide on how you are going to respond to the buyer’s request, whether you will make a few repairs, no repairs or offer a credit in escrow!
Be Present for Appraisal
This is very important on behalf of the seller! The listing agent needs to be present and show up with the market activity to share with the appraiser. At the end of the appraisal, I review the comparables that I bring to ensure that they know the recent sales, as well as the features of the home which add value.
Final Thoughts
Selling a home can be stressful, but working with a professional Real Estate Agent will make the process run much smoother. Be sure to ask questions in the beginning before you sign the listing agreement, discuss your expectations with the Realtor and listen to their advice. Pricing your home correctly in the first place is one of the most important considerations when selling your home!
Related Articles
What to Negotiate After a Home Inspection
Preparing for the Home Inspection
Find Other Valuable Resources for “10 Things to Expect from Your Listing Agent” from top Real Estate Professionals Across the Country. Check out the articles below, and please share across Social Media
Top 21 Ways to Find a Realtor from the Pros via Fit Small Business
Steps to Selling a Home via Lynn Pineda, Imagine Your House
8 Things Agents Should be Doing for Home Sellers via Bill Gassett, Maximum Real Estate Exposure
10 Things to Expect from Your Real Estate Agent when Selling via Kyle Hiscock, Rochester Real Estate
5 Things Sellers Should Expect from Their Agent via Michelle Gibson, Wellington FL Realtor
What Type of Realtor is Behind Door 1? via Jamohl DeWald, Portland Metro Real Estate
About the Author
The above real estate article “10 Things to Expect from Your Listing Agent” was written by Sharon Paxson of Newport Beach Real Estate. With experience since 2005 representing sellers, buyers, and landlords with their real estate transactions, we welcome the opportunity to share our knowledge and expertise and guide you through the home buying or selling process.
We service the following Orange County CA areas: Corona del Mar, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Orange, Santa Ana, Sunset Beach, Tustin and more! If you are considering selling your home, we welcome the opportunity to work with you and list your home with a top Newport Beach CA Realtor.