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 Should I Use a Real Estate Agent When I Sell My Home? 

Selling a home can be an emotional and difficult as well as time consuming process. Choosing whether to work with an agent or trying to sell your home on your own can be a hard decision to make.

A professional real estate agent with vast knowledge of the current market conditions as well as the resources to walk you through all the aspects of selling your home can be a valuable asset. In other words, do NOT choose a realtor just because you may be friendly with him or her. Hire a full-time successful and hopefully aggressive agent who will get you what you want and need! Remember, you’ll be in the trenches side by side with this person for several weeks and maybe several months – make sure you get along. Top agents will give you straight advice on how to get the most for your home.

Only a transactions-based agent is worth the money you will be paying him or her. Never work with someone just because you know or like them. Remember how important this transaction is to you. When it comes to the sale of your home, forget the 80/20 rule. Only the top 1 percent of agents are worth working with you on your sale. Don’t settle for an agent without a proven track record. This is your home after all, why settle for someone who is not an expert at what they do. You need an agent who works equally well with buyers and sellers.

A good listing agent will come face to face with the buyer and have an opportunity to sell the qualities and features of your home. Forget about looking for agents who have designations after their names on their business cards - GRI, CRS etc. really only means they like to take real estate courses and know how to pass tests! Many of the top agents nationwide are not even associated with The National Association of Realtors (NAR). “Realtors,” with their registered trademark, claim to follow a “Code of Ethics” and conduct themselves in a manner above all other agents. Less than half of all licensed agents are “Realtors” and many of the best agents are not part of the NAR. If you cannot find a driven, proven, transaction-based agent who meet the criteria outlined above, then you might as well sell it yourself!

Your agent should be brutally honest with you about cleaning up your home and telling you if obvious repairs must be taken care of before putting your home on the market. Rather than tell an agent what YOU want for your home, a professional agent should determine what the price should be based on the current market conditions, comparable selling prices in the area and your time frame. Select an agent who will be at your home during a showing. After all, another agent who has never been in your home certainly cannot know all the wonderful features your home has to offer.

If you decide to use an agent, make sure you choose one who has creative marketing outlets as well as internet exposure, MLS and other forms of media marketing. The more your agent advertises (in local papers, on the internet, etc.) the chances are the more traffic you will see at your house. One myth is that Open Houses drives traffic to a house. As one agent told me, the only thing that ever happened at his Open Houses were nosy neighbors looking to see how much the house was going for. Not to mention the free cookies and drinks. You will also need an agent that has strong negotiating skills and follow through to handle the paperwork and direct you all the way through the closing process.