They’ve asked you all the important questions and understand your reasons and motivations.
Your reasons and motivations for selling are so important that they’re built into the overall plan. How much time do you have to sell? Is there enough time within that timeframe to accomplish your goals? Are you selling a primary residence and plan on buying locally or moving out of the area or state? Are there financial reasons that will affect the process. Are you selling a rental? What is the condition of the property and are there factors that will likely come up later in the process? Are you downsizing to a smaller home? Is this a lifestyle change decision?
They’ve answered questions you didn’t know to ask and your concerns have been addressed.
As a professional with experience, your agent has more than likely brokered many more sales than you have been involved with as a typical home owner. So it stands to reason they’ll know more about this process than you do. This may seem obvious, but many sellers supersede the advice of their agent for their own personal research. Your own research is valuable but your agent is the one who will put that into context. It’s the very reason you’re reaching out to your agent. For their expertise, knowledge and abilities.
The realities of the current market have been conveyed so you understand what the possibilities, outcomes and potential challenges there are.
You want to know what the weather conditions are before your start a journey. The conditions surrounding the transactions of real estate is “the market” and you need to know how well your home or property will be received in that market.
Their marketing & sales plans have been shared with you so you understand how to navigate together during the process.
This is the intersection of where your home and the market meet. Assessing not only your personal needs, but what buyers needs are and what they are looking for. Will your home, its condition, location and pricing attract interested buyers? This will greatly inform your expectations.
They provide clear communication and regular updates on the status, process and results of their efforts. Your property will be available to view on many real estate platforms and other spaces where interested buyers may congregate. It’s good to know how well it is performing in these spaces. This is highly driven by the attractiveness of the location and how it compares to other homes in the same category. An overpriced home may keep activity low especially if there are other similar properties priced more aggressively.
They are forthright with you even if you disagree.
Your agent understands your needs and also understands what changes may be necessary to meet qualified buyers. Your agents input is highly valuable in this regard. It may or may not be the easiest to digest, but their job is to represent you as best they can. This means they’ll need to be open, honest and forthright about progress and any recommendations they have.
You feel comfortable sharing your thoughts.
As your personal consultant, your real estate agent relationship should be comfortable. Your thoughts should always be welcome and they should always be addressed. You should have the ability to explore as many ideas and thoughts with them. This is how you come to find common ground and build trust.
They get back to you in a reasonable amount of time.
If your agent isn’t able to immediately take your call, they will get back to you in a reasonable amount of time. This means sometime the same day. The same applies to any other communication such as email or text. This is a reflection of their accessibility, professionalism, and organization. In real estate, things can happen quickly so being agile is an advantage. Likewise, if your agent is reaching out to you, you’ll want to connect as soon as possible.
If your agent is doing all these things, then stick with them. They don’t control the market anymore than you do. Their job is to help you find the sweet spot, advocate for your interest and see it through to a completed transaction as smoothly is possible.
