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6 Questions To Ask Your Easthampton Agent Before Signing a Listing Agreement

Author: Jason Benoit
by Jason Benoit
Posted: Feb 13, 2020

In a real estate agent, the skills and abilities you need depend on your particular circumstances and your background as selling Easthampton homes. Furthermore, whatever the case, the representative needs to be willing to enter into a relationship with you and advise and direct you through the entire process. And your agent must of course have the expertise and experience to market your house effectively and negotiate the final contract. Really, the only way to ensure a prospective agent is through an in-depth interview that can do those things well. So here are the six questions your agent has to ask before signing a listing agreement.

1. How long have you been in this business?

There's no guarantee that an agent with many years of experience will do a better job for you than a brand new one, but if she's been in the industry a while, the odds are better. Ideally, the agent would also have had a high level of training as well as exposure to competent mentors, in addition to experience. So be sure to ask yourself about these stuff too. Still, most agents are learning on the job, so the amount of business experience and years is significant.

2. What is your average list-price-to-sales-price ratio?

Now, this is really one of the important questions your agent has to ask before signing a listing agreement. Although the list-price-to-sales-price ratio is partly market dependent, it still remains a good measure of the ability and competence of your agent.

This ratio should be equal to 100 percent for a listing agent. That's, the seller was able to sell houses at a price very similar to the list price, in most instances. A ratio like this shows both price-to-sell abilities and a good track record of negotiating a good price for consumers.

3. Considering location and condition, what is the best price you can get for my house.

Of course you'll want your agent to provide a comprehensive written comparative market analysis (CMA) so you'll get a good idea of your house's fair market value. You should also ask, experts say, that it includes more than simply calculating the dollar-per-square-foot. You want a detailed, thoughtful analysis of the state and improvements in your home.

And look at how the seller would be selling Easthampton house. If the price she suggests is out of line with the CMA or higher than what other agents would suggest, then a problem is likely. "A home that's overpriced at the start will usually end up selling for less than it would have if it were priced right to begin."

4. How do you plan to market my house?

You also need to learn how an agent wants to market your Easthampton house before signing an agreement to list. One of the main concerns should be whether the agent has the requisite experience in online marketing because most people do the bulk of their online home shopping today.

Heres what the industry pros would suggest you ask in this area: "As a seller, you're going to want to know exactly how the agent is going to market your home. Is a campaign on direct mail appropriate? Where does she advertise, and how often? What kind of photograph is it offering? Does it have an online market? What steps would she take to get your house ready for sale?"

5. Will I be able to review documents ahead of time?

Openness and transparency are also critical, so before you sign them, you will need to find out if you can access all important documents. If the agent is not willing to allow this, then perhaps you should not sign the agreement on listing.

"A successful Easthampton real estate agent should provide you with forms for preview, before you are allowed to sign them. Make sure that an agent is amenable to this during the interview phase." And be sure to ask for a copy of the seller report and the listing agreement.

6. What separates you from and makes you better than other agents?

Finally, before signing a listing agreement, you need to know what sets that agent above the competition – that is, what special skills and competitive edge she can bring to the table. A good agent should be willing and willing to give you answers to this question, together with concrete examples to illustrate and back up those answers. You will, of course, want your agent to have the basic necessary attributes such as honesty, assertiveness and negotiating ability. But you should also ensure that the agent is flexible and able to connect at any moment.

Signing a listing agreement is a big step, and possibly a long-term commitment, so you don't want to do it lightly. You also want to do all you can to ensure that your agent is successful. In addition to asking these questions, you can also increase your chances by using a trustworthy agency's officers.

About the Author

Jason Benoit I'm here to help out reader's while selling or buying home. I have 30 years of experience in real estate market. I wrote many article on real estate.

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Author: Jason Benoit

Jason Benoit

Member since: Jul 17, 2017
Published articles: 39

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