Once a Charleston Military family decides to sell their home and hires a professional agent to market it for them, most will interview a few agents before signing on the dotted line. This is a great idea!
Unfortunately, many sellers don’t know how to choose the right agent and usually end up choosing an agent based on the following two questions:
1. Which agent will sell my house for the most money? (That leads to overpriced listing inventory that sits unsold because today’s buyer is looking for a “deal” and NOT overpaying.)
2. Which agent will charge me the least to do it? (That results in getting an agent less likely to invest in improving their performance through education or technology or an agent with a limited budget to spend on the marketing of your home.)
But this may not be the best way to choose your agent - You need an agent who is effective in getting results….Remember, you’re not hiring a friend; you’re hiring someone to do a job.
Here are questions that will give you a better indication of which agent is right for you:
1) “What percentage of your listings EXPIRE and how does your number compare to the average agent in the Charleston AFB marketplace?”
Expired listings are listings that didn’t sell during the time agreed to between the seller and the agent. If one agent has 95% of their listings sell without expiring and another has 25%, wouldn’t you want to know that?
2.) “What are your Average Days on Market?”
If the average days for homes listed “For Sale” in the Charleston AFB market is 180 days, and one agent is selling their listings in 90 days, wouldn’t you want to know what they do differently to get their results? Conversely, wouldn’t you want to avoid the person who is at 270 days?
3.) “What is your Average List Price to Sales Price Ratio?”
There are many agents who take overpriced listings in the Charleston AFB market, planning to lower the price once the seller becomes frustrated…knowing full well the house won’t sell at the overpriced amount.
But – you want to SELL your home….not drag out the process. Agents with big gaps between List Price and Sales Price are not doing you any favors – find this out early and save yourself the heartache. Great agents price correctly from the beginning because they know that price is the best possible marketing strategy and is the best thing for the seller!
You may be surprised to learn that some of the most “successful agents” in terms of “units sold” have a large percentage of listings that expire or a high number of days on market, or a significant gap between their initial list price and the actual sales price. Or that once they list your home, they are off looking for another listing – and NOT looking for someone to buy your home.
Contact Military Homes of Charleston today – and let us show you what a great real estate agent can do for you!
**Information provided by the KCM Crew via www.KCMblog.com**
Buying or selling a home doesn’t have to be hard, but choosing the right Realtor DOES make a difference. I specialize in making first-time home buying a great experience for military families moving to the
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