Finding a real estate agent to represent you is the most important decision you can make after deciding to sell your home. You need to find someone that you not only connect with, but can also trust to have your best interest at heart and who has a clear strategy for marketing, pricing, and preparing your home for market. We recommend researching and interviewing multiple agents before deciding on someone to represent you.

We’ve put together a set of interview questions you can draw from to help identify an agent with a strong value add strategy. Towards the end of an interview, we also recommend asking for a list of references you can reach out to, as speaking with past clients of a particular agent can help you determine if that agent is honest, professional, and successful in helping her/his clients achieve their goals. Ultimately, this will give you a better idea of what you can expect in terms of the experience and outcome you’ll have working together.

Interview Questions

• What is this agent willing to do to help you get your home market ready?
  • Does the agent offer staging advice or assistance?
  • Do the agent offer advice on repairs and updates, and how does (s)he differentiate between what repairs and updates are necessary versus unnecessary when getting your home ready to go on the market.
  • Does the agent have a good network of local contractors, cleaners and repairmen who can assist you in the process?

• Does this agent speak to strategy in a meaningful and knowledgable way?
  • What does the agent see as the most critical aspects of her/his marketing strategy?
  • Can you see samples of this agent’s past work and current marketing material?
  • What is this agent’s strategy for pricing* your home?

*Important notes on pricing:

1. Pricing is one of the most important, if not, the most important aspect of a marketing mix. As such, the strategy should be carefully and accurately developed based on a comprehensive knowledge of current market trends. A diligent agent will not give you a set price on the first visit to your home.
2. When you receive pricing advice, be aware that some agents may give you an inflated price in order to ‘win’ your listing in a competitive situation. Make sure advice is always accompanied by data on a set of comparable properties that have sold within the last six months, in the same town and a similarly valued location, so that you can evaluate the pricing advice you receive with data.