How to choose a listing agent

house.moneyFirst, choose your agent based on recommendations. Ask friends and coworkers.

If you are relocating or shy, try LinkedIn  and FaceBook.

In most places, my agents and I can give you a few agents to interview. If we can’t find someone to our standards, we’ll tell you so. We know Exclusive Buyer’s Agents all over the country. As Exclusive Buyer’s Agents, we know which listing agents will sell their clients down the river, which ones negotiate fairly, and which ones take good care of their clients.

Ask for blind references. These are references where people will write directly to you. This is much more effective than getting a set of pre-written letters. Anyone — and I mean anyone — who has been in the business for two or three years can find two or three people who will say they were a great agent.

question markWhen you get to the blind reference these are the questions I think you should ask. I list buyer questions, because that’s what I do. Seller questions would be similar.

  1. Did the agent know about the town, the area, the market?
  2. Was the agent attentive when you were together? Was the agent reasonably available?
  3. Do you believe that the agent was working in your interests and not being influenced by other agents?
  4. Do you believe that the agent helped you develop a plan and stick to it?
  5. Did the agent provide useful information while house hunting?
  6. Did the agent provide useful information during the Offer process? Did you get market data to inform your decisions? Did you feel well informed during negotiation?
  7. Did you feel pushed into buying something too quickly? Did you think that the agent failed to work for your best deal in order to get the deal done?
  8. What adjective would you use to describe this agent when house hunting? When negotiating? (P.S. I have been told that someone called me “fierce” as a negotiator. Blush!)

(You can also ask something like these during the interview in the form of “How do you” or “Will you” questions.)

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