Finding a Great Listing Agent for Your Home: 8 Tips


If you've decided to list your home, you'll be paying a real estate agent a significant amount of money to the hard work of selling your home. Therefore, you have the right to expect prompt attention, good service, and protection. Here are eight tips for finding a good real estate agent:

1) For your protection, you want a knowledgeable real estate agent to act as a buffer between you and strangers, and to protect you from law suits that might result from your lack of knowledge concerning contract and real estate law.

2) You don't want your agent to be too busy, but you do want them to be relatively successful, because it shows that they list homes at the right price and succeed in getting those homes sold.

3) You want your agent to offer assurances that they'll show your home regularly, that they provide proper signage, MLS coverage, and will create a great sales flyer to hand out to prospective buyers and to other agents.

4) Don't lock yourself into long-term listings. Depending on the market, sixty days may be long enough to show what an agent can do for you. It also allows you to back out of your agreement if you're unhappy with your agent for any reason.

5) Make sure there are no hidden costs in your listing or sales contracts. For instance, some companies charge a "quick sale fee," sometimes as much as $1,000, if your home sells quickly. Make sure all of the real estate fees are explained, in detail, at the very beginning.

6) You can negotiate a lower commission, if that's important to you, which might be the case in a fast-moving market, where an agent might not need to do anything to sell your home other than placing a sign in your yard and listing it with the MLS.

7) Be wary if an agent tries to pressure you into agreeing to pay more than your fair share of closing costs, in order to entice buyers. The listing agent works for you, and their first concern should be to net you as much profit as possible.

8) Of course, you also want your agent to be personable. You may like them in person, but it's also worthwhile to call them at the office, to see how they sound on the phone. If they sound professional and friendly to you, they'll probably impress potential buyers that way, too. Make sure they have a cell phone, as well, to allow both you and potential buyers to get in touch with them quickly and easily.

Choosing a listing agent is important if you want to list your home for the right price and sell it in as short a time as possible. Do your homework, interview several agents, and choose wisely.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm



RELATED LINKS

Accept Credit Card Payment Online

Accept credit card payment online and increase sales by 400% or more.... Find out how ...

 

Advanta Credit Cards

Apply for an Advanta credit card with 0% APR, rewards and cash back.

 

American Express Credit Card Application

Apply online for a new AMEX rewards credit card. See special offers.

 

Best Airline Miles Credit Card

Earn Frequent Airline Miles for Every Dollar Spent with No Annual Fee.

 

Best Cash Back Credit Card

Earn Up to 5% Cash Back on Every Day Purchases. Apply for Yours Today.

 

Best Reward Credit Card

Compare & Apply for the Best Reward Credit Cards with Up to 5% Cash Back Rewards and more.

 

Business Credit Card Online Application

Compare Business Credit Cards from All Major Banks. Apply Online Now

 

Chase Credit Card Application

Find Credit Card Applications from Chase & Apply Online in Seconds.

 

Citi Credit Card Application

Citibank offers credit cards that have 0% APR balance transfer options, Rewards, Cash Back, and much more

 

Credit Card Application For Bad Credit

Great card for bad credit just got better. 8.9% APR, instant decision.

 

Credit Card Balance Transfer Deal

Great Rates: Balance Transfers and Purchases. Capital One Credit Card

 

Debit Cards

Control Your Spending with a debit card. Guaranteed Approval.

 

Discover Credit Card Offer

Discover Credit Card Offers with 0% for 12 months, no fees & cash back.

 

Gas Credit Card Application

Save money at the gas pump with a new gas credit card. Apply now.

Fast Easy Payday Loan

Get the fast cash you need with an easy payday loan. Compare and apply

 

Hotel Rewards Credit Card

Earn Free Stays with a Hotel Rewards Credit Card. Apply Online Now.

 

HSBC Credit Card Application

Get 0% Intro APR, No Annual Fee, Great Service, Benefits. Apply Now.

 

Low Interest Credit Card List

Compare & Apply for Credit Cards w/ 0% Intro APR for Up to 15 Months

 

Master Card Application

Apply for MasterCard Credit Cards with 0% APR, Cash Back & No Fees.

 

No Annual Fee Credit Card

0% APR with No Annual Fee. Compare No Fee Credit Cards & Apply Online.

 

Online Car Loan Application

Loans and Refinancing for New and Used Cars. Online Approval.

 

Online Debt Consolidation Services

Consolidate your debts today - ease the strain of monthly bills.

 

Online Foreign Currency Trading

FOREX is a serious game. Play it with the pros. Start with just $50. The best trading platform available today. Start Trading and see why.

 

Online Mortgage Application

Apply online for a mortgage for your home. It's fast and easy. Great Rates!

 

Online Visa Credit Card Application

Compare & Apply for Visa Credit Cards with 0% APR and No Annual Fee.

 

Prepaid Credit Card

Get a Prepaid Credit Card with Free Direct Deposit. No Credit Check.

 

Shopping Reward Credit Card

Shopping Reward Credit Card. Fast Online Credit Card Application ... You have found the best shopping reward credit card site on the Internet!

 

Student Credit Card Application

Pay 0 Interest for 6 Months & Earn Rewards with a Student Credit Card.

 

Travel Rewards Credit Card

Compare Frequent Flyer Credit Cards Apply Now and Start Earning Miles.


MORE RESOURCES:

Some See a Real Estate Bubble Forming in Canada
New York Times
OTTAWA — Marie-Yvonne Paint, a real estate agent in Montreal, has the kind of problem most of her counterparts in the United States can only ...

and more »



UDR real estate trust declares dividends
BusinessWeek
Real estate investment trust UDR Inc. has declared a quarterly dividend of 18 cents per common share. The Denver-based company also declared a dividend of ...
UDR Declares Quarterly DividendsMarketWatch (press release)
UDR announces common and Series E preferred stock dividends for quarterTrading Markets (press release)

all 19 news articles »


The Business Insider

ProShares Launches First Single Inverse ETFs on China, Real Estate and Basic ...
MarketWatch (press release)
The new ProShares ETFs are: Short FTSE/Xinhua China 25 (YXI), Short Real Estate (REK) and Short Basic Materials (SBM). The ETFs will list today on NYSE Arca ...
New ETFs to Short China, Real Estate and MaterialsTheStreet.com (subscription)
ProShares Unveils Two Short ETFsEmii.com
REK, SBM, YXI: New Inverse ProSharesBenzinga

all 64 news articles »


The Quincy Cove

Advice on Boston Real Estate and Debt Forgiveness
The Quincy Cove
In the recent times, the Obama government as well as the private lenders have started considering principal reduction programs for homeowners who are ...

and more »


89.7 WUWM - Milwaukee Public Radio

Philathropist and Real Estate Developer Joseph Zilber dies at age 92
FOX6Now.com Milwaukee
The real estate developer and philathropist, Joseph Zilber, is dead at the age of 92. The FOX6 News team and Myra Sanchick have more on Zilber's legacy.
Real estate developer Zilber dies at 92MSN Money
Passing of a friendMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
Developer, philanthropist Zilber dies at 92Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

all 13 news articles »


Bizjournals.com

BBJ exclusive: Boston among healthiest commercial real estate markets
Bizjournals.com
Greater Boston's commercial real estate community appears to be among the healthiest in the country, in terms of the percentage of properties that have ...

and more »


Canada Mutual Fund Performance: Real Estate Funds
Wall Street Journal
Fund performance is as of the close of business March 18 Top 5 Real Estate funds (ranked by 1-year performance) Assets (in C$ mlns) 1 YR 3 YR 5 YR YTD ...



Yale Said to Plan Cutting Hedge Exposure
New York Times (blog)
Yale University's endowment plans to prune its hedge fund investments to make room for bigger stakes in private equity and real estate, Bloomberg News ...
Yale Cuts Hedge Funds to Hold More Private Equity, Real AssetsBusinessWeek
Yale's Swensen favors private equity, commoditiesReuters
Yale Boosts PE, Property, CommoditiesEmii.com
Wall Street Journal
all 22 news articles »


BigPond News

Tokyo shares turn down as real estate slumps
BusinessWeek
Real estate issues led the day's losses, with Mitsubishi Estate Co. down 3.8 percent at 1476 yen and Mitsui Fudosan Co. shedding 2.4 percent to 1613 yen. ...
Real estate proves biggest drag on NikkeiFinancial Times

all 96 news articles »

Google News

home page | article index | site map
Credit  |  Currency Trading  |  Debt Consolidation  |  Debt Relief  |  Insurance  |  Investment  |  Leasing  |  Loans  |  Mortgage and Refinance  |  Personal Finance  |  Real Estate  |  Stocks and Mutual Funds  |  Taxes

 

© Copyright 2006 - SmarteCredit.Com. All rights reserved