September 2, 2021:

5 Questions To Ask When Interviewing A Realtor®

Deciding to sell a home is one of the biggest decisions that an individual or family will make in their lifetime, and we recommend comparing services offered by a few Realtors® before committing to ensure you have the best representation in the sale of your home.


Here Are Five Questions You Should Ask When Interviewing A Realtor®

HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DOES YOUR TEAM HAVE?

As is the case with most professionals, the more experience a Realtor® has, the better, whether you’re buying or selling. Having said that, the answer should reflect how many homes they’ve sold, not the years of knowledge. Ask how many homes their team sells annually. Numbers can often speak for themselves, but don’t be afraid to get specific; find out how many homes they’ve sold in the specific area you’re selling in so you can determine if their knowledge will directly benefit your real estate goals. You can also ask them for their average list-to-sale price ratio and the average days their listings stay on the market to further understand their skills.

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WHAT COMPLIMENTARY SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE?

In a hot market, homes sell themselves, right? Wrong – it’s rarely that simple. An area may be in high demand and collect offers just by putting a sign on the lawn, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be the best offer you can get for your property.

It’s important to ask your potential real estate partners which complimentary services they offer. You want to look for a team that has a portfolio of professional services including photography, videography and home staging. Ask if they offer services like aerial videography and photography, twilight photography and digital tours and floor-plans of your home as these techniques give your property an edge in the market. These services are less common, but the top real estate teams in your area will have made innovation a priority in their business and be poised to sell your home using the most-up-to-date tools available. Not all photography and videography is created equal, so get on their websites and compare.

WHAT IS YOUR MARKETING PLAN?

Providing you with the best complimentary services is only part of the equation, so make sure to ask your potential partners what marketing efforts they’ll implement to sell your home fast and for top dollar. In other words, what is the marketing strategy and how will it be used to create traction on your home’s listing? Presence on Realtor.ca is a given, but ensure it’s being featured on the right local real estate boards.

Next, ask how your property is being marketed to GTA and International buyers. Make sure you also review the Realtor®’s social media marketing on outlets such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If their social media presence is sparse or non-existent, you may be losing out on marketing to a tech-savvy demographic. Look at the team’s whole package when it comes to marketing: everything from the for sale sign, to the take away materials, to the team’s website should be professional and of the highest quality.

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ARE YOU ADVERTISING TO GTA AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS?

Exposure is an important area to explore when you’re interviewing representation. Asking which markets their team targets will give you an idea of the size of audience that will see your listing. In Simcoe County especially, you want to look for a real estate team that invests in Toronto advertising as more and more buyers are heading north for affordable housing. Low inventory of homes in Toronto lead to fierce bidding wars that become not only local but global news. Recognizing this as an opportunity, many investors overseas are scooping up real estate north of the GTA, so make sure to ask if and how your interviewee’s team positions local properties to the thousands of international buyers.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR SERVICE?

This question achieves two things: knowing up front what your commitment to this Realtor® entails and getting a sense of what to expect with regard to customer service. First, you want to understand if you are bound to the exclusive services of this team for the agreed upon time frame no matter what or if there are conditions in which your agreement will be re-evaluated. For example, Faris Team offers a Best Experience Guarantee which allows clients to cancel their buyer or seller agreement with 24 hours’ notice at no cost to them.

Second, asking this question will give you a glimpse of the customer service you can expect from this partner. Do they outline the legalities of your agreement with confidence and kindness or are they evasive and answer you with vague promises? The right response is a well-prepared summary of additional services and strategies that the Realtor® and their team would pursue in order to help you achieve your real estate goals.

If and when you’re satisfied with an interviewee, ask your soon-to-be partner for testimonials from other clients. References and accolades should be readily available for you to review, and hopefully, after following these questions in an interview, you’ll be added to the roster of raving fans who are thrilled to recommend the services and results of the partner you so thoroughly selected.

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Thinking of selling? Our professional, loving, local Realtors® will go full out for you®.

Call us today at 1.888.918.6570, send us an email or book an appointment.

There’s absolutely NO OBLIGATION. Consultations with our team of experts are FREE.


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