A lot of home sellers jump at the first agent that dazzles them with local ads or is recommended by a family member or friend. Let’s open up your options and set you off on the right path by going over what everyone ought to know about choosing a listing agent in Summerville.
What They Bring to the Table
In order to get the most out of any agent, you have to grasp what functions they regularly fulfill when selling your home.
Agents come equipped with volumes of local market knowledge that help them to price your home competitively while maximizing returns. They also have access to the Multiple Listing Service – or MLS – which is a big database of all of the properties for sale in the area. Having access to all of this information on the fly goes a long way to help make sure your home isn’t priced outside the norms of your neighborhood.
A listing agent also provides an emotional barrier during negotiations and will always keep things professional in an attempt to keep any worthwhile deal moving forward.
Additional Resources
Over the course of their careers, each agent will cultivate relationships with other professionals that can aid in selling a property.
Calling on the assistance of a stellar photographer can mean putting the extra layer of polish on your listing with a solid set of images that act as a virtual tour of your home. If you’re in need of staging help, it’s likely your agent can put you in contact with an interior decorator to spice up the environment for your potential buyers.
Finally, sometimes you need a little help getting your landscaping under control, and bringing on a professional lawn service or landscaper could be the missing ingredient that pulls the exterior together.
Flexibility Is Key
Part of hiring an agent is taking up their time to get your home sold, and they need to be able to adapt their schedule to close the sale.
Most agents fully know they are going to work strange hours and days and will be well-accustomed to this normal. However, asking an agent how they run an open house or any special things they do to make it memorable for attendees can give you an idea of how they can get the most bang for your buck with an open house.
Another point to consider is that it’s common for owners to believe agent commission is always a flat fee, but it is certainly negotiable as long as the agent is willing to do so. If you’re running on a razor-thin margin when selling your home, don’t be afraid to just ask about negotiating an agent’s commission.
A Mixture of Personalities
The most important part of hiring an agent is finding the agent who works best with you. This means meeting with a few agents and getting to know them before settling on one.
When first meeting with any agent, pay attention to how they act and respond to discussing your circumstances and your home. If you feel the agent was disinterested or detached, that agent may not be for you. The goal here is to find the agent with which you feel comfortable discussing your current financial situation and life circumstances.
However, above all else, you need to find and hire an agent with whom you are comfortable asking questions. You do not want to put yourself in a situation where you feel inadequate or foolish for needing to ask fundamental questions in the pursuit of understanding what is being done to sell your home and how you can best participate in that process.
Your Listing Agent Partners in Summerville
If you’re planning to sell and want a listing agent that will partner with you to make the process as simple as possible, contact us at (843) 696-1487!