Real Estate Report:
Ready to List With a Real Estate Agent?
How To Evaluate Potential Agents!
By Linda Arendt
A good real estate agent is worth her or his weight in gold. A good agent will help you identify a home that is both
a good investment and fits your lifestyle. A good agent will navigate you through the entire buying process,
keeping the deal running smoothly all the way through closing. When you sell your home, a good agent will
market your home with passion, including promoting it to the local agent community and heavily advertising it.
Problem is, there are lots of agents out there. In any given market, there are easily thousands of agents. More
importantly, your home is probably your largest financial asset. This is a business decision, and you want the
agent who is passionate about maximizing your profit!
How Do You Find That Agent?
This report will give you the necessary information to evaluate potential real estate agents. Since different agents
will produce different results, this process is critical!
“Pay particular attention to the amount of time it takes for them to respond to you. If they take a long time, it may
mean they’re too busy to work with you. Also, if you are selling your home, you want a listing agent who will return
buyer’s calls quickly!”
Start By Doing Some Research.
Find out who the most active agents are in your market. You can do this several ways. First, notice whose names
are on the yard signs in your neighborhood. If a listing agent is very active in your immediate neighborhood,
chances are they may have a ready stable of buyers. Secondly, look in the newspaper and home magazines. This
should give you an idea of who has listings, and where they are. Pay attention to how professional the ads look!
Third, ask your family and friends. Referrals are one of the best ways to find a good real estate agent. Finally, call
your local real estate office and ask for the sales manager/broker. Simply ask her or him who their best agent is!
The Initial Phone Call is Revealing!
Once you have your list of agents to call, place a phone call to each one. Pay particular attention to the amount of
time it takes for them to respond to you. If they take a long
time, it may mean they’re too busy to work with you. Also, if you are selling your home, you want a listing agent
who will return buyer’s calls quickly
Request Their Marketing Plan
The most important question you need to ask potential agents is how they plan to market your property. Ask for a
step-by-step marketing plan. Make sure the agent’s marketing plan includes the following:
1. Multiple Listing Exposure
2. Advertising. Request samples of their magazine and newspaper advertising. Make sure it looks professional.
The quality of their ads will affect your home!
3. Marketing your property to other agents. Make sure your agent will print flyers and hand them to other agents
in the office as well as other nearby offices likely to have buyers for your neighborhood.
4. Internet. Ask your agent on which websites she or he plans to advertise your property. Make sure there is an
internet initiative!
The Net Sheet
Make sure your agent takes you through the “net sheet”. Make sure you both agree on the bottom-line number.
Be leery if the agent agrees with every number you come up with! You don’t want an overpriced house!
Pricing Your Property
A good agent will explain the necessity of accurate pricing. She or he will explain to you the dangers of
overpricing, and give an approximate price based on nearby comparables.
I hope this informational report was informative. As your local real estate professional, I am available to answer
any questions you have about aggressively selling your current home or helping you find the “right” home. You
can call me at any time for advice, and please remember that you are under no obligation or pressure of any kind.
I would very much like to help you.
Best Regards,
Linda Arendt
Century 21 Real Estate Group
865-984-2121