Choosing a Listing Agent

Choosing the Right One

    OK, so you've decided to sell your Sarasota home and you've been interviewing potential "Listing Agents."  You've interviewed three and its time to select the one you'll use.

    Of those you interviewed, which one should you choose ?

    Do you pick the Sarasota Realtor that seemed real sharp; who came to your door already knowing what your home was worth and it was more than you had hoped for ?  He even agreed that you should "start high -- you can always reduce the price later"  He claimed to have Buyers lined up waiting to buy your home !

    In the opinion of the writers of the www.realestate-of-florida.com information website, "the first real estate agent sounds almost too good to be true -- and, he probably is.  The truth is that he was engaging in a despicable practice called "buying a listing."  He "buys" your listing by suggesting that you can get a higher sales price than a reputable agent would suggest. Actaully, he knows your home will not sell at that price, maybe not even close to it.  His intention from the start is to "get the listing now," tying up your to his "listing contract" for the next 3, 6 or 12 months. Then, after few buyers have seen the home, he'll talk you into lowering the price."

    Why do real estate agents "buy" listings?  For a couple of reasons.Inexperienced agents can respond inappropriately to pressure from a homeowner who has an inflated perception of the home’s value. And, being new, he really wants to "get some listings on the board." On the other hand, some real estate agents "buy listings" as a routine practice. Getting listings this way violates the Sarasota Realtor's® Code of Ethics

    Or, do you pick the second one who seemed honest and sincere, but his suggested price, which he brought on the first visit, was lower than the first "hot-shot."  He didn't give much detail on "how he was going to market your home." But, he had colorful presentation materials. "Oh well," you figure, "all Realtors® do the same stuff anyway --   put it in the Sarasota MLS, a newspaper ad once or twice, hold one open houses and otherwise just hope this Sarasota real estate property sells itself."

    Or, finally do you pick the third Sarasota realtor who required two visits; the first to tour your home noting its features, strengths and weaknesses and asked lots of questions. Then, she came back a second time with a recommended selling price -- perhaps a bit lower than that offered by the hot-shot or the second agent. Neither of them had even seen the home before announcing what it was worth.

    The third Sarasota Realtor® also spent time explaining her "marketing plan", not necessarily with snappy presentations, but with facts and commitments. She pointed out, that contrary to common opinion, her job is not to sell the home herself, although she'd love to. But as your "Listing Agent," her job is to make sure all local Sarasota real estate agents know about your home and its features. She'll do that by holding a "Brokers Open House" providing each of them with a brochure on your home so every Realtor® will remember this home. In addition to the Brokers'Open House, she offered other ways she'd put your home in front of the biggest number of Buyers. Finally, she explained the importance of the home be accurately described in Multiple Listing Service so Realtors looking for homes for their clients will identify your property as a Sarasota real estate property with good value and the right features.

In summary, you should choose as your Sarasota Listing Agent, a Realtor who:

• is experienced at selling homes in your neighborhood.
• is honest enough to admit that one cannot give a reasonable estimate of the value of a home until he or she has actually toured the home.
• takes the time to document an honest comparison of your home to others that have sold recently and those currently on the market.
• has a clear and comprehensive "marketing plan" for your home.
• is someone with whom you feel comfortable discussing one of the most important decisions you can make.

    In a nutshell, your Sarasota Listing Agent's job is to multiply the number of people working to sell your house by enlisting every other Realtor® in town, especially those who deal mostly with Buyers.