What Should You Ask a Potential Agent?

When it comes to interviewing potential listing agents, there are 10 important questions you should be asking to determine whether or not they’re right for your needs.

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I want to share with you 10 questions to ask when interviewing a potential listing agent:

1. “How many homes that you listed last year did you successfully sell?” This question is important because it will demonstrate how well the agent is at actually getting their listings sold. Of the 112 homes we listed last year, we successfully sold 95. That’s about 84% compared to the East Cobb average of only 61%.
   
   
2. “What percentage of your contracts actually close?” If they get a contract on your home, are they going to get you to the closing table? Our track record is 92% for contracts that we get to the closing table.
   
   
3. “What is your average days on market? What is the average for my area?” You’ll want to see how your agent’s average compares to the area that your home is in. Our average is 31 days. East Cobb’s is 44 days, so we are two weeks faster than most.
   
   
4. “How close are the initial asking prices of the homes you sold to the final prices?” This is the agent’s average list-to-sales price. Most agents will give you this figure based on all the homes they sold, including the ones they reduced the list prices on, but you want to know how it compares to their original asking price. Our average is 97.3% for 2017, whereas the East Cobb average is 96%. Working with us could net you thousands more.
   
   
5. “How will you find buyers for my home?” Make sure to ask any agent you interview what type of marketing they’ll do before you even list your home. At Kelly+Co., we look at marketing your listing as having three different pillars: networking with other agents, internet marketing, and signage. This will include free home staging, and once we do go live on the market, we use our huge internet presence to our advantage and actually put your listing on sites where we know buyers are looking. We pay thousands of dollars every month to Zillow for the exclusive rights to every buyer lead that comes across your listing.
   
   
6. “Can you recommend service providers who will make the process easier?” We can provide you with contractors, painters, house cleaners, stagers, and most anything you need. We have a vetted list of vendors at your disposal.
   
   
7. “How will you keep me informed on the progress of my transaction?” We believe in transparency. We update our sellers every week with what we’re doing to get their home sold, what’s happening with the competition in the market, and we also give advice about what comes next. You’ll never go a long period of time wondering about what’s happening with your home.
   
   
8. “What is your business philosophy?” This will help you distinguish between whether the agent is running a business or if they’re just selling homes and helping people find them whenever they feel like it. Our philosophy is to create lifelong relationships and raving fans. We do that by providing incredible service with local expertise and knowledge.
   
   
9. “How long have you been in residential sales?” The longer they’ve been helping people buy and sell, the more experience they have. You don’t want someone with few experiences and no knowledge of what to do when things hit the fan during your transaction. We’ve been in the business 19 years and counting, meaning we were active before, during, and after the recession.
   
   
10. “Is your commission flexible?” Your agent should come with a flexible plan to account for different circumstances. We charge 6% for the first tier, and for that, we list your home and find the buyer, who has a buyer’s agent. The next tier is 5%, where we list your home and the buyer doesn’t have an agent; we’ll give that 1% back and we’ll take both of you to closing. We also charge as little as 1%, where we list your home and you find your buyer who doesn’t have an agent. We want to give all of that back to you, and then we’ll take you to closing.

I certainly hope that my team and I are among the agents you’re going to interview to sell your home. If you have any questions about our qualifications or the services we provide, please feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to be your resource.