Buyer’s Tips & Articles

How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time
job? (While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate, like many other
professions, is mostly learned on the job.)

What designations do you hold? (Designations, such as GRI and CRS?, which
require that real estate professionals take additional, specialized real estate
training, are held by only about one-quarter of real estate practitioners.)

How many homes did you and your company sell last year?

How many days did it take you to sell the average home? How did that compare
to the overall market?

How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final
sale prices?

What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to
sell my home? (Look for someone who has aggressive, innovative approaches,
not just someone who’s going to put a sign in the yard and hope for
the best.)

Will you represent me exclusively, or will you represent both the buyer
and the seller in the transaction? (While it’s usually legal to represent
both parties in a transaction, it’s important to understand where the
practitioner’s obligations lie. A good practitioner will explain the
agency relationship to you and describe the rights of each party. It’s
also possible to insist that the practitioner represent you exclusively.)

Can you recommend service providers who can assist me in obtaining a mortgage,
making repairs on my home, and other things I need done? (Keep in mind here
that real estate professionals should generally recommend more than one provider
and should tell you if they receive any compensation from any provider.)

What type of support and supervision does your brokerage office provide
to you? (Having resources, such as in-house support staff, access to a real
estate attorney, or assistance with technology, can help a real estate professional
sell your home.)

What’s your business philosophy? (While there’s no right answer
to this question, the response will help you assess what’s important
to the real estate practitioner—fast sales, service, etc.—and
determine how closely the practitioner’s goals and business emphasis
mesh with your own.)

How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How
frequently? Using what media? (Again, this is not a question with a correct
answer, but that one reflects your desires. Do you want updates twice a week
or don’t want to be bothered unless there’s a hot prospect? Do
you prefer phone, e-mail, or a personal visit?)

Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most
recent clients?

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