Hiring a Real Estate Agent is not a simple decision. The truth is, the wrong Realtor could make your home’s sale/purchase a nightmare, and could cost thousands, leaving you in significant financial trouble. To prevent that from happening, you need to be absolutely sure that the agent you hire will work with your best interests in mind.

Our Team has decades of experience in the Real Estate industry, so we have a pretty good idea of what makes a good Real Estate Agent. We’ve also become familiar with many of the red flags you should be looking out for when you hire an agent. So today, we’ve put together a list of some of the questions you should be asking any Real Estate Agent before you decide whether or not they’re the right one for you.

1. What is your company’s track record and reputation in the Atlanta market place?

It may seem like everywhere you look, real estate agents are boasting about being #1 for this or that, or quoting you the number of homes they’ve sold. If you’re like many homeowners, you’ve probably become immune to much of this information. After all, you ask, “Why should I care about how many homes one agent sold over another? The only thing I care about is whether they can sell my home quickly for the most amount of money.”

Well, because you want your home sold fast and for top dollar, you should be asking the agents you interview how many homes they have sold. We’re sure you will agree that success in real estate is selling homes. If one agent is selling a lot of homes where another is selling only a handful, ask yourself why this might be? What things are these two agents doing differently?

You may be surprised to know that many agents sell fewer than 10 homes a year. This volume makes it difficult for them to do full impact marketing on your home, because they can’t raise the money it takes to afford the advertising and special programs to give your home a high profile. Also, at this low level, they probably can’t afford to hire an assistant, which means that they’re running around trying to do all the components of the job themselves, which means service may suffer.

2. What are your marketing plans for my home?

How much money does this agent spend in advertising the homes s/he lists versus the other agents you are interviewing? In what media (newspaper, magazine, TV etc.) does this agent advertise? What does s/he know about the effectiveness of one medium over the other? In some cases, you may find that your agent simply plans to put your home online and wait for buyers to come.

What you want is a proactive agent who will actively look for buyers and do what they can to spread your home to a larger audience. Otherwise, you’ll receive less offers and receive less money, and your home will take longer to sell.

3. What makes you different? Why should I list my home with you?

It’s a much tougher real estate market than it was a decade ago. What unique marketing plans and programs does this agent have in place to make sure that your home stands out favorably versus other competing homes? What things does this agent offer you that others don’t to help you sell your home in the least amount of time with the least amount of hassle and for the most amount of money?

More Questions You Should Ask

There are so many other great questions you should be asking Realtors—too many to fit in this article! If you want to know what else you should be asking, then check out our free report: 10 Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Agent. You can find the report HERE.

And if you’re looking to sell your home, we’ve got you covered. We sell our listings three times faster, which reduces stress for our clients and gets more money in their pockets. Did you know that only 48% of homes that went on the market last year sold the first time with the first agent they hired? Most sellers last year had to call a 2nd or 3rd agent to get the job done, or even worse, not sell at all. The agent you hire the first time matters! EmpowerHome Team sells 98% of our listings the first time, so when you hire us, your home is more likely to sell fast & for top dollar!

Curious about how quickly your home could sell? Call Us at 404-301-3303, or visit our website.