Ten Questions Every Homeowner Should Ask an Agent

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As you embark upon what will be one of the most important transactions of your life – whether buying or selling a home – you should be absolutely certain that you are happy with the real estate agent you have hired to help you manage it. 

To help you with this all-important hiring process, here are ten important questions to ask an agent before you decide on whether or not to hire them:

Question #1

How Close Do You Get in Sale Price Related to Asking Price?

It is important to ask for this information as it relates to the past 60 days.  Given that many agents are not that active in the market, you would be best served to obtain the most recent information possible.  As a seller, your agent’s ability to come close to the asking price is a strong attribute and can mean a difference of thousands of dollars in your transaction.

Question #2

How Many Days on Average Does It Take You To Sell a Home?

What’s the average number of days on the market for properties listed by your prospective agent? Since this statistic can reach as high as six to nine months and in some cases and as much as a year, it is important to ask how your prospective agent ranks on the scale.

Question #3

What is the Rate of Homes Sold on a Monthly Basis?

Knowing the absorption rate of homes similar to yours that are on the market allows valuable insight as to how the market is performing for your particular needs.  Not only does it give sellers a glimpse into the system and how it would translate to their own sale but it also presents a broader view of the entire market in general.

Question #4

What Do You Do Differently To Get Homes Sold?

Especially with the current trying economic times, many agents have been faced with adversities trying to sell the homes on their list.  One of the best ways to learn whether your agent is a self-starter is to find out what they have done in the past when they were unable to successfully sell homes.  Ask why the agent feels the home(s) did not sell and then find out what they are doing differently to get them sold.

Question #5

What Percentage of Deals Do You Represent the Buyer Versus Seller? 

Some agents work primarily with sellers while others work mostly with buyers and still others are experienced with dual-agency deals.  Depending on your needs, you will benefit from an agent that specializes in one of the two.  It is important to ask which side of the fence your prospective agent tends to represent. 

Questions #6

How Many Homes Did You Sell Last Year?

Nothing speaks louder than numbers.  A very important statistic, ask what the total number of homes sold last year was and if possible try to get a more long-term picture of the agent’s performance in this regard. You can also ask for a month-to-month breakdown to see if there are certain stronger months.

Questions #7

Can You Provide a List of the Ten Most Current Clients You Have Worked With?

Rather than rely on the given list of referrals that many agents have handpicked, it’s a good idea to obtain a list of clients that are currently working with this Realtor.  It will provide a much-needed glimpse into the agent’s performance on various stages of real estate transactions.

Question #8

How Much of Your Work Day Do You Dedicate to the Real Estate Industry?

You want an agent that is 100% committed to their  job and if they are focusing more on a day job with real estate being a secondary thing, you run the risk of inaccessibility, lack of knowledge and experience plus lackluster motivation.  Find out how they feel about the real estate industry and whether they are passionate about their work.

Question #9

What is Your Style of Marketing – Proactive or Reactive?

What is your potential agent’s style of working?  Does he or she speak to a large number of people each day? Are they proactive or reactive in nature when it comes to marketing? See how this lines up with your real estate needs.  Are you in a hurry to buy or sell?  Does a laid back agent hinder your efforts? Or does slow and steady work better for you?

Question #10

What Does Your Daily Schedule Look Like?

The typical schedule of a real estate professional can be very telling.  By asking for a copy or general idea of how they conduct their day in terms of their work, you can get a good idea of how much time is devoted to the profession and what kind of business they are running.

Northern Virginia Real Estate Market Update – April 2012

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This is one of the best times in the real estate market – as the days get longer and things get warmer, more and more people are motivated to sell their homes while at the same time others are excited about finding the perfect dream home.  What is happening in today’s real estate market?  To get an idea of what you can expect in the coming weeks and months ahead – we have put together some information about our local marketplace.  Whether you are a buyer or a seller now is a great time to get involved and achieve your real estate goals!

Buyers Still Enjoying Record Low Interest Rates

Though we have begun coming up from the super low interest rates of just a few months ago those rates are still at record-setting lows.  What this means for buyers is that they can get into much better homes for the same monthly payment as a smaller one just a few years ago when rates were much higher.  Hovering at around 4%, the cost of a mortgage is one of the greatest benefits and incentives for buyers to buy now.

Home prices also remain very low.  They have come up a bit in the past several months, but like interest rates, they are still lower than they have been in a very long time.  But if you want to find the perfect home, there may be little time as there will be more and more competition as the months go by.

Multiple Offers Provide Sellers More Leverage

For the first time in a while sellers are beginning to see the market shifting in their favor.  Especially during the warmer months and the busiest real estate season of the year, sellers will be receiving multiple offers on their homes.  This is especially true for homes that are priced right, in great condition and presented well.

It is essential to hire the right agent to get the job done so together with your agent you can formulate a game plan and work to achieve your goals.  At a time when buyers are savvier than ever, it becomes vital to price your home effectively.  In fact, we strongly suggest working with us to pull your area’s comparable sales to make sure you know your competition and price your property accordingly.
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As we continue onward, we are expecting the market to show its true colors – something that has been a long time coming after some of the more volatile times we seem to be crossing over.  One of the greatest things we are thankful for is our clients’ trust in us and their referrals.  Than

The Importance of Staging Your Home Office

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A special thanks to Home At Last Decor for participating in this week's blog. Visit their website for more information! www.homeatlastdecor.com

One of the easiest ways to prepare a home for sale is by having it staged by professional home stager or interior decorator. Home staging simply means that you're decorating in a way that will show off the best features of a home. Many sellers don't realize the huge impact that home staging can have on how quickly their home sells and for how much.

One thing you have to realize as the home seller is that staging does not always create an effect that matches the way you would normally live. Instead, the house actually becomes like a product. A home stager will take your home and turn it into a marketable product that buyers want.

In this week's video, I had a professional home stager take over the challenge of staging a home office to present well for buyers. The goal was to make buyers feel like they could move right into the home and utilize the home office area. We wanted it to be inviting, yet functional.

Here are some tips to use when staging a home office, or any area in your home:

- Depersonalize: It's very important to depersonalize your home office and the rest of your home. The main idea is that you want the buyer to see themselves in your home and not be hung up on all of your personal things. This would include removing things like your personal sports team preferences, family photos and even books that refer to your own opinions such as political or religious texts.

- De-clutter: It's very important to de-clutter your home office area by putting up paperwork and other unnecessary items. Remember that you don't want people to look at your home office as a place where work will need to be done. Instead, it should look comfortable and inviting since most people will use it to sit down and pay the household bills, etc. You don't want them to be completely overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork clutter that you have around your working area.

- Artwork: If necessary, you should change the artwork in your home office to fit the theme of an office. In this particular case, the homeowner had a piece of artwork that really wasn't related to a home office. Our home stager changed that out to give it a more soothing, generic theme.

- Under the desk: It's also critical to remove anything that's under the desk. Remember that buyers are going to look everywhere in your home including closets and under your furniture. You want everything to look organized and clean. If you have a lot of stuff under your desk, it takes away from the look of the room plus it makes the space look smaller.

- Polish the desk: Remember to polish furniture throughout the house to give it a clean look. People often forget this simple step, but it can make a big impression.

- Remove dust jackets: Here's a simple tip that you can use in any home. Remove the dust jackets from hardcover books and put them between two elegant looking bookends. You can put them on a coffee table or on your desk. Removing the dust jackets gives the books a dressier look.

- Add a comfortable chair: Even if you have to make a purchase to do so, add a comfortable, elegant chair to your desk. It will be well worth the money, and you can take it with you when you move.

- Add plants: You may want to consider adding a plant to your desk or even the corner of the room. It adds texture and hides cords.

We asked our home stager to give her biggest “no-no” when it comes to showing at home. She said by far that personal items need to be removed so that people won't be focused on their opinion of you, but will be focused on the house itself. Again, this means removing religious or political books, personal pictures and anything else that might give someone an opinion of who you are. Instead, you want them to focus on living in that home.

As always, if you ever have real estate questions, we are here to help! Just give us a call or drop us an email.