What Clients Should Expect From a Real Estate Agent
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Whether it’s a home buyer or seller, a real estate agent must meet their expectations. Agent’s may be wondering, what do home sellers want? If you’re a client, you may be wondering what you can expect from your agent.
While FSBO is an option, it’s always more beneficial to work with a real estate agent when selling your home. In this article I’m going to cover what home sellers should expect from their agent. If you are working with a real estate agent, here’s what you can expect.
A Trustworthy Partner
Sellers want to sell their home quickly and receive the highest possible value for the the sale, a realtor to deliver that for you.
Real estate agents can spend countless hours working for you through the selling process, so you know that they are going to be keeping your best interests in mind. Typically, realtors are not paid a salary, but instead a real estate agent’s income comes from the commission they receive from selling your home.
They pay out of their own pocket for everything that they do to help you sell your home, including their own travel, real estate photography, and marketing. They want to sell your home at the highest possible value so that they can better cover their own expenses. This is a shared interest and can build trust in your relationship with them.
They want to get your home sold quickly so that they can move their attention to new clients instead of spending extra time marketing homes that are losing value by the day. According to a Stanford study, partnering with a real estate will help sell your home 34.7% faster while ensuring you’ll get the best price for your home.
Values Your Home
Sellers want a realtor that knows the knows the true value of a home. Some exceptional real estate agents are even certified in home and valuation. Your listing agent won’t sell your home for less than it’s worth, nor will they set an unreasonable price for your home.
Instead, they use their training, experience, market knowledge and comparable sales to price homes for sale realistically and correctly.
They set the selling prices of homes accurately in compliance with the code of ethics. As a home seller, it is important to remember that pricing a house significantly higher than its actual worth will cause serious issues and delay the selling process.
If the buying process is delayed, you could lose the interest of many prospective buyers. To get attention on your property again, you may need to drop the price of your house significantly, so take your realtor at their word when they share what they think is a good asking price for your home.
Advertises your Home Skillfully
Advertising a client’s home for sale is not only the realtor’s job, it’s their expertise. Home sellers want agents that are experts at advertising.
Expect your realtor to know how to stage your home for a professional photoshoot to get high-quality marketing materials to show off your home. Your real estate agent will show your home on the platforms they perform the best with.
Some are “micro-influencers” in their locality and will attract buyers through social media, but most will use MLS (or Multiple Listing Service) along with a slew of other traditional and digital marketing tactics that they have practiced and refined.
When you have a listing agent assist in advertising, it allows them to sell 34.7% faster than homes that are For Sale By Owner (FSBO).
Clear and Consistent Communication
A good realtor can sell a home quickly at a great price, but a great realtor will make the experience enjoyable. The biggest difference between the two is the ability to communicate effectively.
One of the most difficult skills for any professional is maintaining quality communication. Real estate agents are no different. Home sellers need constant communication with their agent to feel comfortable about the home selling process.
As a home seller, you are trying to juggle your regular life with the chaos of selling a home. You don’t have time to deal with miscommunication, and you can’t afford to be in the dark about what is happening behind-the-scenes while the realtor is working on selling your home.
This is why interviewing your realtors beforehand is so important. Along with getting to know the realtor’s plans for how they will sell your home, you need to ask how your realtor communicates.
Prioritizes Pre-Approved Buyers
Pre-approved buyers are the highest quality leads you can have when selling your home. These are people who have been approved for a loan from the bank before they even buy a property. While you can sell to a buyer who is not pre-approved; there are plenty more financial risks from all parties involved.
An experienced real estate agent finds qualified, pre-approved buyers for their clients to ensure that every lead on the house is a good one.
Realtors can access information that will show them if a lead has been pre-approved for a home loan. They will also ask for a credit report from a buyer to ensure that they are able to make a financial commitment to buying your home.
Negotiating the Best Sale Terms
With real estate agents, your success is their success. When you work with an experienced realtor, you can expect them to use their expert negotiating skills to get you the best sale terms and conditions for you.
Of course realtors want to make money on the deal, but it’s more important to them that you are happy with the deal they strike. It is useful to note that it is always up to you to make the final decision in the process.
Clients frequently leave reviews of their experience with a realtor on certain platforms, so you can learn how their previous clients have dealt with the agent. When agents receive positive reviews it can help them grow, that is why most agents will have their clients as their top priority.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Agents
Research studies show that potential home buyers start their online search for a home at least 12-18 months ahead of time. At this time, they just want to collect information and don’t want a pushy sales agent to contact them constantly.
Your agent should understand that you’re nervous. This is the biggest purchase decision that you’re most likely to make in your lifetime. You want real estate agents to understand buyer reluctance and not to just push or rush you into a sale. You want your agent to be patient and work with you a step at a time.
Don’t Pressure Clients
Potential home buyers will want real estate agents to relax and not oversaturate them with information. For example, when they call them, they want clear and concise answers. Some agents call clients right away and then continue to flood them with calls and unwanted emails.
Homebuyers want real estate agents to be professional and follow good business practices. A good agent doesn’t stalk buyers or pushes them into making a sale that they might regret later.
Do Post Enough Information and Pictures of Homes in Their Inventory
You should expect to have a lot of photos and some video footage of your home before it is posted. These should be professional and thorough. This is what interested buyers see first, it should make a great impression right off the bat. The footage of your home should include:
- Home tour videos
- Professional photographs
- Pictures of the neighborhood, recreation, and other lifestyle-related variables
- Complete information about schools and facilities available in the area
Get Connected with a Selling Agent
To summarize the article above, here are the three main takeaways of what you should expect from your real estate agent:
- Strong Negotiation Skills: Home Seller’s should seek out agents with an experienced background. They should be able to sense their negotiation skills from day one.
- Communication: Every home seller expects their real estate agent to keep them in the loop about the progress of the sale. They want agents to communicate with them daily or weekly and inform and update them.
- Honesty: Every consumer wants the realtor that they have hired to be completely honest with them from start to finish. They don’t want realtors to make false promises just to attract more business. They expect agents to be honest from the start. This includes how they work, interact with clients, set a price, home valuation, etc.
Are you a home seller or buyer looking to hire a reliable and professional real estate agent? At FastExpert, we offer you a complete list of the best realtors in your local area. Browse through our list to make your pick.
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