Choosing a top agent 

top agent  and cool cat

What is a top agent? 

I was recently reading (online) an advertorial in our local newspaper about how and why to choose a top agent to help you sell your home. For anyone who does not know, a newspaper was once a trusted local source for news and information. An advertorial is a paid advertisement meant to look and read like an article. When I worked at the Record, my advertising clients always loved advertorials. The editorial department by contrast hated them — it was a ‘church and state’ thing. But enough about that. Let’s change gears a little bit and talk about facts. Let’s talk about clarity. 

We have to drill down when receiving information. We have to ask and ask and ask. Reading critically is critically important. We have to spend the time and get to the reasons why. Stay with me. I’ll show you what I mean. 

In the newspaper article, the argument of the story was essentially that top agents often get more money for the same house than others agents. They do this by attracting more buyers. The article alludes to the fact that there are a lot of inexperienced agents out there (I agree) and dismisses discount Realtors and Realtors with gimmicks with “you get what you pay for” (I agree again). 

Hiring a top agent

The main advantage of hiring a top agent, the article implies that the top agents are ‘well connected’ and that putting solid deals together is very strategic. (I don’t know what that means). The article says, “Even good agents that care can still be lacking in areas that really matter. It takes more knowledge and superior skill sets” (??!?). 

The advertorial makes one other huge mistake — at least something that I am highly opposed to. It dissuades the reader from hiring a family friend. In this day and age of mass marketing and fake online reviews, shouldn’t we most trust those around us who have had experiences with specific agents already? 

Here are my questions: 

  1. Do top agents really get more money for the same home?
  2. How do top agents get more money for the same home?
  3. Do top agents really attract more buyers? How?
  4. How are top agents well connected?
  5. To whom or what are top agents well connected?
  6. How exactly is being well connected helpful to selling a home?

Choosing a Listing Agent

So how do you choose a Listing Agent? Here are the questions to ask and more importantly the information you want to see.

  1. How much do you think my home will sell for? —> What you want to see are recent neighbourhood sales of similar homes. You also want to see what homes most like yours are currently for sale. 
  2. How many years have you been a (full time) Realtor? —>  What you want to know is that they have the competence and the capability to sell your home. You don’t want a part timer or a newbee.
  3. How will you market my home? —> What you want to see is great photos with floor plans and room measurements. 

That’s about it. It’s not rocket science. When interviewing Realtors to potentially list your home, satisfying those three requirements will be plenty to get the job done quickly and efficiently.    

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