If you are “in the market” to put your home on the market, hiring the right real estate agent can be the difference between quickly selling at your asking price and sitting on the market for months and months on end. There are several important considerations that should be taken into account when interviewing your potential real estate agent.
The Six Most Important Questions to Ask Your Potential Agent
- Do you have an active real estate license that is in good standing in the state of Texas?
- Do you belong to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and/or a reliable online homebuyer’s search service?
- Is selling real estate your full-time career?
- What real estate designations do you currently hold?
- Do you represent me, the home seller, or do you represent the buyer?
- What specific actions will you take to demonstrate your best possible efforts to sell my home?
Not Every Agent is a Realtor®
For starters, the law requires that anyone selling a home be licensed in the state in which he or she works, either as an agent/salesperson or as a broker. In order to obtain a license, the individual must meet state mandated minimum standards for education, examinations and experience. After receiving a real estate license, the person is now officially a real estate agent, and most agents choose to join a local board or association of REALTORS® as well as the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. These memberships afford the agent the ability to refer to himself as a REALTOR® but also ensures that he abide by a strict code of ethics—a code that often exceeds the mandates of state laws.
Realtors utilize a massive database called the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to share information and market the homes they have available for sale, enabling the home seller access to the greatest number of buyers possible.
Legal-Ease
A licensed agent is obligated by law to always put the client's interests above anyone else's; to maintain confidentiality; to adhere to the client's instructions (so long as they are legal); to keep clients “in the know” of all useful information; and to account to the client for any money involved. In order to maintain his or her Realtor designation, the agent must adhere to an even higher standard—the Realtor Code of Ethics.
Because the law and the Realtor Code of Ethics require strict rules regarding client relations, it’s imperative that as the home seller, you understand the difference between the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agents. Clearly, as the home seller, your agent is legally obligated to you; conversely, the buyer’s agent has legal obligations to the buyer. So, always be mindful of which agent you are speaking to, as he will be legally obligated to relay that information to the client.
Gather as much information as possible about your potential Realtor but also listen to your gut. Selling a home is a big decision, and you need to feel 100 percent confident that you will have a successful relationship with the Realtor you hire to sell your home.
If you are looking for a reliable Realtor who has a successful track record selling homes in the Southlake area, contact James Keoughan, a seller’s agent.
James Keoughan
Real Estate Agent, RE/MAX Heritage III
2301 W Southlake Blvd #500
Southlake, TX 76092
817.697.2345
http://www.JamesKeoughan.com