A Good Listing Agent Can be the Key to Selling Your Home

Selecting a great listing agent can truly be the key to selling your home quickly and for a good price. When choosing a listing agent, it is in your best interest to select someone who has experience working with sellers, is familiar with your market, and is committed to aggressively marketing your property. One of the best ways to find a great listing agent is to ask your friends and colleagues for recommendations.

Misperceptions About Listing Agents
People often mistakenly believe that real estate agents play a very limited role in selling homes for their clients. Sometimes people think that listing agents just run a few ads in the newspaper and stick a sign in your yard. With a good listing agent, this could not be further from the truth.

Listing agents handle many important marketing and legal details related to the process of selling their clients’ homes, and are crucial to successfully selling most homes. A great deal of behind the scenes work goes into selling a home, and many homeowners who have tried to sell homes on their own will tell you that getting a good listing agent as soon as you decide to sell your home is the smartest thing that you can do.

What Do Listing Agents Do?
Real estate agents work as independent contractors, so not every agent approaches the process of selling a home in the same manner. Typical listing agent activities include:

1. Provide accurate information about market value of comparable homes in the area
2. Make suggestions for preparing the home for sale
3. Photograph the property for marketing materials
4. Create and distribute marketing materials
5. Get the property listed in the appropriate multiple listing services
6. Network with other real estate agents to increase exposure for your property
7. Schedule and host caravans to introduce other Realtors to the property
8. Schedule and host open houses for prospective buyers
9. Advertise the property in local print media
10. Create and post online marketing materials for the property
11. Facilitate communication between you and Realtors representing potential buyers
12. Educate you regarding your legal rights and responsibilities as a seller
13. Facilitate various aspects of preparing the property for closing
14. Many additional tasks

The best way to verify which of the above services the listing agents that you are considering working with provide is to ask. Make sure you know exactly how the agent plans to market your house and communicate with you throughout the process before you sign an agreement.

Are You Comfortable with Each Other?
It is smart to shop around for a listing agent rather than selecting the first one you meet. It is very important to choose a listing agent with whom you are comfortable. You need to have a good rapport with the person who will be responsible for helping you sell your home. The two of you will be working very closely together during the time your home is on the market, so it is very important that you get along and are able communicate effectively with one another.