Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Listing Agent

 Agent Experience

• How long have you been selling real estate?
• How many homes did you sell last year (as a seller’s agent rather than as a buyer’s agent)?
• Of the homes you sold last year (again, as a seller’s agent), what was the average number of days between the original listing and an accepted offer?
• What is the average ratio between the listing price and the selling price?
• What is your experience with my particular neighborhood?
• Perhaps most important, is this your full time profession?
• How involved are you in Community Work and with your Real Estate Board/Association?

Marketing Plan

• How do you propose to market my house? Open houses, previews for agents, yard signs, listings on one or more Multiple Listing Services?
• At open houses: will you be there to interact with potential buyers, or will you send an assistant to sit my open house?
• What advertising will you do & why? Online ads, newspaper ads, direct mail?
• What sort of Web marketing can I expect? Photos, virtual tours, links to other Web sites?
• Do you take professional-grade photographs (or work with actual professional photographers) so potential buyers can see numerous great photos of my home?
• How often do you expect to communicate with me regarding inquiries and other buyer interest?

Personal Info

• Do you consider yourself readily accessible? Evenings, weekends, by cell phone or beeper?
• Do you expect to be out of the office while my home is listed (vacation, etc.)?
• If so, who will be handling the listing in your absence?
• Can you provide (at least) three references?

Money Matters

• What do you think my home is worth, and how do you determine your valuations?
• What is your fee structure? Commission, flat-fee, a la carte? Do you recommend one or another?
• What do the fees include and, perhaps more important, what don’t they include (e.g., document preparation, etc.)?
• “That’s a hunk of change” (or something to that effect). Why do you believe you’re worth it?

That last one, by the way, is something of a trick question. Ultimately, you’re not looking for hard and fast answers, but rather, how your interviewees respond. If they have trouble answering, hem and haw, or take offense, it may shed some light on what sort of future relationship you may have. If their responses (or lack thereof) make you uncomfortable, things probably won’t improve down the road.

If, on the other hand, you like what you hear, you’re just about ready to sign on the dotted line.