Choosing a realtor can be hard if you don’t know what to look for, so we’ve come up with a few things to help you choose a realtor that you will love to work with, not just need.
Good questions to ask when choosing a realtor:
- How much do you think you can sell it for? What are houses in the area priced at, and what do they think they can do for you? If you are talking to multiple agents, this can help you determine who would be the best fit – if someone is way off from the others, ask them why. It could help you determine who you trust most when choosing a realtor.
- How will you market? Get a feeling for what kind of buyers they plan to reach out to, and how. Being able to talk about more than a quick internet listing will give you confidence and also just an understanding of how well you could work together.
- Do you work with a team? Real estate teams have become more and more common, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Teams can be great, but how you interact with each member should be communicated from the beginning. Will you be working with your agent the entire time, or multiple people?
- How many clients do you have on average at once? Basically this all boils down to, will they have time for you? Sometimes realtors have a team of assistants to handle background work, so they can interact with many clients at once, so there’s no correct answer. You’re looking for someone who doesn’t have too many clients to pay attention to you, but who also has the contacts and the following to show that they are effective.
- How much do you charge? Talk about their commission and see who is willing to negotiate to fit your needs and your situation. You should both feel good about working together at the end of the day.
- Do you have a preferred mortgage lender? This is a question we get a lot – if a realtor has a preferred mortgage lender, do you have to use them? The answer is no, you don’t have to – you can still do your own research into what lender you’d like to use. It never hurts to check out the lender that they suggest, but you shouldn’t feel any pressure to choose their suggestion.
If you’re in the middle of choosing a realtor, check out our list of current partners – these are good realtors, good advisors, and just down-to-earth good people. If one of them is in your area, feel free to look them up and tell them we sent you!
And when you are looking for a mortgage lender, or if you have any questions, give us a call! We are small enough to give you the personal attention you deserve, and big enough to give you the help you want – and our biggest joy is getting families into their dream homes.
Best,
Audrey
The Christian Mortgage Mom
