I think the answer by Ron Thomas is way off the mark. Agents who spend so much time answering questions to get the VIP designation obviously aren't selling homes, just answering questions here. Designations of Pro or VIP in this forum are a joke. One you pay for and one you get by giving your answers on others questions. Those answers could be way off the mark, but if you answer enough of them in areas unrelated to your market area of even the state you service you get brownie points. Some questions are geographic specific and ask about state law, yet some agent from the other side of the country will answer just to try and get the vip badge. It's a poor way to choose an agent. Those with the pro or vip badge are a joke. They spend way too much time in this forum and not selling homes.

I would tell the home owner to do thier homework! it is very important to research everything about a broker, and the agent respresenting you. I would reccomend using a online review webpage, such as: yelp, trulia, or zillow. These sites can be a wealth of information to the home owner. I hope I helped, I wish you luck on your journey. I am an agent with Exit Realty Top Properties, you can contact me anytime, thank you.

Ciro Traino
347-255-0863
cctraino@gmail.com
http://www.exittopproperties.com/ http://www.facebook.com/C Ciro Traino

I would tell the homeowner to do their homework and find an experienced agent with a great reputation and a reputable firm in their area. Technology plays a big role in the sell of homes in todays market. I say that because 90% of all homebuyers start their search online. That means a good internet presence, great pictures, and outstanding marketing online is critical to success in today's market.

As both sellers and buyers, asking- ‘What is being offered to me by this firm?’ Will I be considered a professional ‘partner’ in my relationship with this firm?’ Many firms promise both groups anything and everything simply to obtain their business. It is crucial for buyers to ask –‘How will you, the agent, and firm be working with me?’, ‘Who will negotiate on my behalf?’, for sellers to ask- ‘What should I expect in return for the commission I am being charged?’ Will I be working with, and kept informed at all times by the same agent I initially met with?’ ‘Will that agent give me their undivided time in discussions, suggestions, referrals to professionals I will need from listing to close?’

I think the key is finding the best broker/agent combo. Do research, interview the agents, find the one that you feel has your best interests at heart and will work hard on your behalf. Don't be afraid of new agents, they are hungry and they typically have more time to invest on you and your property.

When you are ready to sell your property you should interview a range of brokers and agents. The agent is going to be your advocate to market, negotiate and advise you through the home selling process. You will want to review the experience level of the agent in terms of marketing, pricing and networking your home to be in front of as many buyers as possible. Ask them questions on how they would handle a variety of objections and what solutions they were able to bring to the table to resolve the issues on the sellers behalf. The best practices are to list the property on an MLS system and not keep the house marketed within the agency. The agent should also network the house with the community agents so they are familiar with the home and will be able to keep your home at the top of mind when they have buyers looking for a home in your segment of the market. There are many competing homes in this market. You also want to interview the agents to review the network of professionals they have to assist you in the selling process. Real estate attorneys, mortgage brokers etc. There are many obstacles in this market and you want to be sure you are being represented from a professional that is obtaining results in todays environment.

You should interview a couple of brokers/agents to get an idea of what each person and agency offers. I have worked for a few agencies and have found that each agency is very different in their marketing and office support. However, it is up to the agent to create the best marketing plan for their client that can be made of what the agency offers as well as additional plans put together by the agent. Office support is also important. I rely a lot on the girls back at the office to make my job easier so I can service my clients more efficiently. You also want to make sure you feel comfortable with the agent you select. There is a lot of back and forth communication and sometime their are hiccups and you need to be ok with bringing up your concerns. Customer service, knowledge and networking are the keys to being a good agent. If you can find all 3 in an agent...that is your ticket.

Alen,

I'm sorry you feel the way you do. Perhaps you didn't take the time to read my post through. Misleading? Please give me a break.

I never said a broker who usually sells starter properties could not sell high end, but a broker who does most of their business in that arena may not give the same service. This is not an absolute. Many brokers work very well thoughout the market. Point is, if I need a mechanic for my Lamborghini (not that I have one) I may not want to choose one who has only worked on Fiats. This doesn't mean a Fiat mechanic couldn't fix my Lamborhini, but they may not be the best for the job.

I certainly have no objection to those who post here or use social media. The Pro designation is for someone who has paid for that designation. If you look at those with the VIP status, many, not ALL are answering every question they can from every state, but there are way too many who have very generic answers just to get a VIP status. Posting in this blog does not really promote your listings, it promotes you. Yes, really!

As far as google, having your name appear on google doesn't mean a thing! People who are looking for a home don't search for you by name because they don't know you. Google means a lot, but not if you can only be found in a name search. I specialize in higher end homes and waterfront property. Do a google seach for westchester county lakefront properties, westchester county waterfront properties, new york fine homes, weschester county fine homes and you will see my personal web site appear near the top of page 1. That WILL promote my listings. Check it out, my web site is http://www.nyhomeseller.com

Again, sorry you thought my reply was so "absolutely absurd". I stand by everything in that post.

Don

There are some valid points in this forum. Some other good things to simply ask are the following (can be done via phone call honestly):

What is so different from the agent's marketing methodology compared to any other "agent's/broker's standard"?
Will they provide you reports to each place they advertise your property?
Will they send you all advertising for approval, prior to publishing it; if you so choose?
Will my ad look like EVERY OTHER AD?
Where will it be advertised?
Will they do an Open House once a week until it is sold?
Can they determine a method to get every broker wanting to show your place?

A good agent will listen to what you want & do everything in their power to get your property noticed to all prospective buyers/investors. I do not recommend choosing a "popular agent" over one that you trust & feel comfortable discussing your plans with. Only you can determine if you would want them representing you.

Any property I list, goes to the global market as well. I wish you the best & hope everything goes most excellent for you! Please feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance.

Thanks,
Brian Moore
917.215.5300

Donald,

No offense, but some of what you said below is absolutely absurd and very misleading.

Very few brokers start out selling multi-million dollar listings, most of us typically get out feet wet selling smaller homes. Let’s not forget our economic situation since 2008. Very few large deals are being handled, which implies that many of the “super brokers” have no choice, but to dip their feet, suck up their pride and sell much smaller listings than they may have concentrated before the crash. A broker who never sold a $10M listing can do an outstanding job selling it, and a broker who sells $10M listing can do an outstanding job selling a $500,000K apartment.

Your point regarding PRO or VIP status may be accurate if we assume that some agents answer every possible question from every state in order to score of these badges, and I’m sure some do. But, I completely disagree when you imply that those with a PRO or VIP badges on this forum aren’t spending enough time marketing their listings. Really?

What about those agents who have their game down, are consistent, organized and make social medial/blogging part of their daily business plan? That’s like saying, why waste your time going to networking events when you can do business the old fashioned way and cold call.

I will even go as far as to say that, the more an agent appears on Google search, the more active they are and are easier to find along with any property they may be selling.

~Alen

There are a lot of different ways to find a good broker.

1. A personal recommendation can be one the best. Ask people you know who have recently sold a home if they were satisfied with their agent.
2. Interview several local agents and see which one you feel comfortable with.
3. Find out what agents sell homes similar to yours. If an agent usually sells multi-million dollar homes and yours is not, you may not get the service you expect. It works the same way if you have a high end home and the agent usually sells starter homes. The exception may be an agent who works with a company that sells a lot of high end.
4. Don't go for an agent who gives you an unrealistically high price or offers a low commission. Some agents will try and "buy" a listing with an unrealistic price. Same goes for a low commission. If an agent is quick to cut their commission how well will they do to get you your price.
5. Don't get sold on Realtor designations or a VIP or Pro status in this forum. If an agent spends that much time in this forum, how much time are they spending marketing their listings? A VIP status says to me that they are not spending much time selling homes.

Good luck!

Donald A Mituzas
Licensed Associate Broker
2008 Realtor of the Year
Prudential Douglas Elliman
New Yorks #1 Broker

Similiar to interviewing for a job we all put our best foot forward, pull out the colorful and compelling reports about our services and explain market conditions. I would highly suggest requesting references and testimonials directly tied to the clients the agent has worked with in real estate transactions. If the references just offer 5-star feedback only then you need to dig deeper and ask more questions because we all have strengths and weaknesses. You can then begin the weeding out process which should be very easy at this point.

A few questions that come my way are: What is your weakness in real estate, what was the most challenging situation you've had with a seller, how did you handle it, what steps did you take to resolve it, what was the most challenging situation you've had with a buyer agent, what do you think of buyer agents, what makes you different than other listing agents? Body language and the answers given are an extrodinary path to the truth. Good luck to you!

Mr. or Mrs. Seller,

Bill had good points that he outlined, but I'd also like to add something additional for you to consider.

I agree that a seller should interview at minimum 2-3 agents before making any final decisions. By doing this, you will hear what everyone does that "same" and you'll also pick up on what they do that's "different" or additional to what their colleagues do.

Liking your agent is nice, but it’s not an absolute must. People have different personalities, different approaches and not everyone will click right away. I always say that you can be friends after the sale. What you should be concerned with most is how certain an agent makes you feel in their abilities, reach and services which will all benefit and spearhead this sale.

Ask about their follow up process with sellers. Their marketing efforts. What type of reach does their firm have, how reputable are they? Where do they advertise, (print advertisement still works for Trophy properties, but not for cookie cutter apartments it doesn’t), you have to be concerned with online. Some agents advertise on 2 or 3 online mediums while others on dozen more.

Do they work alone or do they have partner/partners? Who will host your open house, them or an assistant (open houses statistically have low conversion rates and smart brokers use other tools and methods to expose your property), try not to dwell on weekly open houses after the first month your apartment has been on the market. You can’t expect your main broker to always cover all showings, and as long as their colleague or assistant has good knowledge on your apartment, this should be fine and allowable.

Ask them to show the ease with which a potential buyer is able to find your property on the internet. Have them show you their companies website, you’d be surprised how many sites are nauseating to navigate to the point that people just click off and move on.

Will they offer professional photography? Type of property description? Will it be fancy and useless or will it be direct, to the point, with specific keywords for optimization so that more eyes can find you? Video tour, not virtual tour. Individual website just for you.

Do they have any marketing material that’s exclusive and unique to them, in addition to what they can do though their firm?

Ask to see a list of comparable apartments.

At the end of the day, majority of the firms in NYC have similar marketing arms. Work with an agent who tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear since, as you know the two will differ greatly in opinion. Try to remember that from the moment you list your apartment, it’s now a business transaction. Your future buyer isn’t concerned that someone raised their family there, that someone put their blood, sweat and tears into gutting the apartment, all they care about is whether or not they see themselves living there for reasons personal to them, not anyone else. As long as you can remember this, you’re entire experience should be pleasant.

Best of luck.

I agree with those who say interview a few brokers. Ask for references. Also beware a broker that just yesses you and look for the broker who is willing to give you honest answers. In this market you need to be smart in pricing and marketing your home.

Looking,

There are several means of identifying selling agents that have been successful in the past.

1. Personal recommendations-information that you can get from friends, relatives, or business associates based on their personal RE experiences are invaluable. Still it is important to screen these individuals based on your personal criteria.

2. Doing your own personal search via open houses. This often overlooked avenue for professional resources is often overlooked and viewed strictly as a means of learning about property. Nothing could be further from the truth. Using open houses as a means of getting a feel for how the individual would relate to you, how they interact with others, how knowledgable they are and how well they think on their feet. Don't overlook open houses.

3. Using trulia VIP's as a viable resource. This important real estate tool offers a variety of options that support buyers. The nice thing about using trulia is that you can research the back ground of an agent relative to their ideology and real estate IQ by exploring their "question & answer" forum. By using this as a tool you should be able to open your eyes to who the individual is and how they operate.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Good luck,

Bill

Hello
I would strongly recommend gathering at least 3 agents to interview from different companies. Be sure and ask about their marketing straegy and what they plan to do to move your house. If you have family or friends nearby who may have recently bought or sold using an agent you can always ask for referrals. I wish you the best of luck in the sale of your property!
Heather

One of the objectives of Trulia is to introduce you to a lot of Agents:
If you look in the lower/right you will see text "VIEW TRULIA VIPs"
Click on that and insert your city.
You will see listed all the Agents for your area;
you may look at their PROFILE and RECOMMENDATIONS,
you can e-mail them and ask questions.
These are people who are knowledgeable and care enough to help people, such as yourself.

Good luck and may God bless

Hello Home Seller,
The best avenue to find the agent who you wish to represent you in the sale of your home is to interview a few agents from different companies. This way you can determine who can give you the best marketing to attract the largest pool of buyers and who you would feel comfortable working with.

Often times, consulting with your friends and neighbors on who they recommend is a good place to start.

Good luck to you!

Laura Feghali
Prudential Connecticut Realty