I'm thinking about selling my house soon, and I've been trying to figure out how to find a good real estate agent. First thing I did was ask around friends and family for recommendations, then checked online reviews. After narrowing it down, I met up with three agents to get a feel for their style and see if we clicked. Um, I also asked them about their marketing strategies and commission rates. Does this sound about right, or am I missing something important?
"Um, I also asked them about their marketing strategies and commission rates."
You're definitely on the right track. When I sold my place last year, I did pretty much the same thing—asked around, checked reviews, and interviewed a few agents. One thing I'd add: ask them specifically about their recent sales in your neighborhood or similar homes. I found that agents who knew my area well could price and market the house more effectively. Saved me a lot of headaches down the road...
You're already doing better than most people I talk to. When I sold my condo a couple years back, I made the mistake of just going with an agent my coworker recommended without digging deeper. Big mistake... The agent was nice enough, but didn't really know my neighborhood well, and it showed. We priced too high initially, sat on the market for weeks, and ended up having to drop the price twice. Lesson learned: always ask about their recent sales track record in your specific area—not just general experience or marketing plans. Also, don't be shy about asking for references from recent clients. I did that the second time around, and it made a huge difference. Got someone who knew exactly how to position my place, and we had multiple offers within days.
You're spot on about checking references and local experience, but honestly, even that's not foolproof. I've seen agents with stellar track records fumble badly because they got complacent or stretched themselves thin. It's always good to trust—but verify. Ask tough questions, like how many listings they're juggling at once. If they're overloaded, your home might not get the attention it deserves. Learned that the hard way myself... twice. Third time was the charm, though, thankfully.
