Selling a home is a daunting task. By hiring a Realtor, you’re basically handing over one of your largest assets to someone who may feel like a stranger, especially if you haven’t had any reason to use a Realtor in the past several years. Even if you have a friend who’s a Realtor, you may wonder how this personal acquaintance might measure up as a professional when it comes to managing what feels like a huge investment.
There are dozens of articles on how to search for a good Realtor, but in the Santa Fe market, try these questions to get you to the right Realtor in a hurry:
1. Can you direct me to testimonials from other clients? What are people saying about the services you provide? How do your last five clients feel about the service your provided? Santa Fe is full of folks who have been in the business for years, a lot of whom were Realtors elsewhere before moving to Santa Fe. While experience is important for technical purposes, you’ll sometime find that “bigger” Realtors who have a larger market share due to their longevity in this market don’t really provide the personal service you deserve. Make sure past clients didn’t feel like they were handed off to team members. Check testimonials. The best way to gauge how someone will take care of you is to see what they did for other clients.
2. Do they know the market? Lots of Realtors will spout figures when you ask them about the price per square foot on the Eastside versus the Railyard or Hyde Park Road. But have they brought documentation with them to show you whether those numbers are real? Do they care enough about getting your business to have done some research on your particular property? Lots of Realtors love a listing appointment, but when they arrive, they’re determined to sell themselves and get your signature rather than helping you arrive at a price that will get your house sold. Your real estate broker should be intimately familiar with your neighborhood – what’s recently sold, what’s on the market, and what you can expect to list for that makes sense.
3. Do they practice the 5 P’s? Is your real estate agent determined to just get your listing and the do only the 3 P’s? Those are: Placing a sign in the yard, Putting the house on the MLS and then PRAYING that another broker will bring a buyer to them. I practice the 5 P’s, which means that in addition to the 3 P’s, I also Prospect daily for buyers and I Price Watch to be sure that our pricing strategy matches the market. Without practicing all 5, you’re just hoping that someone will come along and find your home.
4. How will you market my home? This is a tricky question since most brokers have a printed stock sheet that lists 14 marketing methods. In today’s market, you have to have a Realtor who is active online. Given that 94% of buyers are looking on the internet before they ever start a physical search, your property had better be front and center online. Do a search and see where your broker’s website appears on the search engine page. Can you even find their website? Is it attractive? Easily navigable?
Open houses and print advertising are all “old school”, but you want a broker who isn’t afraid to add these items to their arsenal. And you want a broker who is actively involved in searching for buyers. Do they door knock? Are they aggressive and will they think outside the box?
5. If you’re dissatisfied, will they give you a cancellation of the listing? I always tell my clients up front that should they decide I haven’t fulfilled their expectations, they have an immediate right to cancel. This hasn’t happened in my career, but certainly there is always the chance that my personality and style won’t match that of my client. I never want a client to be stuck in a contract that makes them uncomfortable or with which they aren’t happy. Any Realtor who will hold you to a contract doesn’t have your best interests at heart.
Are there more questions to ask? Of course. But this is a great start. And we’ll post more in a later article!
Bunny Terry 505.504.1101
20 Vereda Serena Santa Fe, NM 87508