Need some questions answered from sellers and realtors re listing my home

We are thinking of listing soon to see what happens.

We have a few questions re finding a listing agent. We have 2 people in mind who specialize in our area, and we already know them personally. So what do we do next? Contact them and have them come in? What are the steps involved? How do we choose, or is it based on who we like best, takes the lowest commission, etc? Should we have more than these 2 realtors come in and if so why? And do we put feelers out to all the local reators? What if one we like best wants a higher commission than another? Can we ask that realtor we like to lower their commission?

Can we make the rules re when people view our home? Can you state in your contract that the listing agent must accompany all MLS realtors coming in? Can you ask to know the names of every person who is entering your home (for safety reasons)? Etc.

Sorry for all the questions but guidance is much appreciated.

Message edited 4/18/2010 11:49:12 PM.

Re: Need some questions answered from sellers and realtors re listing my home

I would bring in more than two. They will give you a whole presentation about how they would market the house. I wouldn't make the decision based on the commission. You will have to deal with this person a lot, so you have to be comfortable with them. You can ask for a lower commission, but I wouldn't assume they would match. I do think that some agents can bring in a higher price than others. You can make some rules, but make sure you aren't lowering your chances of a sale. If you are working with a reputable agent they will guide you to the safest compromise. You should put all your jewelry in a safe deposit box and make sure small items like ipods are hidden, no reason to give temptation.

Asking the listing agent to accompany all is a bit much. You want as many people in as possible, and that will add complexity to scheduling.

Re: Need some questions answered from sellers and realtors re listing my home

I interviewed three realtors and basically they all offered the same things; MLS listing, Realtor.com and all the other web sites, mailings, signs, open houses, etc. We based our decision on the realtor we thought would be the best negotiator for us when we got an offer.

I would just tell them up front what your expectations are regarding them being present for all showings. I would assume if they want your business they will agree to it, or to have an alternate trusted person from their office be present in case they can't make it.

Re: Need some questions answered from sellers and realtors re listing my home

Re: Need some questions answered from sellers and realtors re listing my home

We have 2 people in mind who specialize in our area, and we already know them personally. So what do we do next? Contact them and have them come in? What are the steps involved? How do we choose, or is it based on who we like best, takes the lowest commission, etc? Should we have more than these 2 realtors come in and if so why? And do we put feelers out to all the local reators? What if one we like best wants a higher commission than another? Can we ask that realtor we like to lower their commission?

We thought like you. We wanted the local REA. She knew our neighbors and our development, etc. It was a waste of valuable 6 months. She pushed us to list HIGHER than we wanted and I really feel like that may have killed our sale. We thought she knew best and trusted her. We did our homework and should have trusted ourselves.

That being said, we interviewed 4 houses (Coach, Coldwell, Prudential and Daniel Gale) - everyone except Coldwell was 4% - but I think the REA they sent us from Coldwell was misinformed as the market was changing and she had been out on disability (strange situation and I'm not sure why they sent her)



Can we make the rules re when people view our home? Can you state in your contract that the listing agent must accompany all MLS realtors coming in? Can you ask to know the names of every person who is entering your home (for safety reasons)? Etc.



Like Beth said, you don't want to make it hard for buyers in this market. We are lucky, my DH works from home, so no one has our key and we really have only turned down a handful of showings. If he didn't work from home, I doubt that we would be able to keep our key.

I will say that in addition to your valuables, make sure your prescription drugs are put away. My DH had knee surgery recently and his pain meds were stolen. We know exactly when it happened (the buyer asked to use the bathroom and then quickly flushed the toilet and left - like literally 10-15 seconds). We thought it was strange and went in to look - they were gone. The weird part is that they said that they wanted to come back to look and put in a bid - they never did, but I wonder i they wanted to come back to see if we refilled the Rx.

Always check your window and door locks after a showing as well.