To find a good realtor to sell your house, you must ask the right questions.

These are the best questions to ask to make sure you get a realtor that has your best intrests in mind to help sell your house !
Be sure to interview at least 3 realtors before making choosing one, because this decision will save you $1000's in commissions and help you get a higher sale price for your home.


The Mike & Laura's Realtor questionnaire:


Initial Filter Questions:

How long have you been a realtor in this area? Do you live around here?
(since our last realtor, clearly was not familiar with the area)

How long have you been a realtor? (only ask if the above question was less than 5 years in this area)
(to verify they are experienced; seek minimum 5 years experience)




What is your minimum commission as a listing agent?




What is your minimum commission as a buyer's agent?




If we hire you for both the selling and the buying process, what kind of cut are you prepared to offer me? (only ask this question if you are selling a house and shopping for a new house at about the same time in the same town/city)




Can you provide me with absorption rates for my neighborhood?
(only to test their knowledge. If they do not know what this means; don't use them.)




Do you have a guarantee of performance with the right to cancel if you do not meet our expectations? (you don't want to get stuck in a 6 month contract with someone who sucks!)




Further Questions: (not as important as the above questions in filtering/choosing a realtor)

What type of marketing plan or strategy do you have in mind? (Look for a direct anwer with specific details. If they fumble around with this question, or are give vague answer, they probably suck...so run away )


Other than MLS listings, how do you get the word out to other realtors?




Do you have an assistant, or someone to help when you are not in the office? (With an assistant, they are more focused on selling your house than on running the office)




How do you determine the asking price of my home?(do they guess? Get it apraised? Look at comps in the area?)




What is your average list price to sales price ratio?
(you want someone with 97% - 100% in a buyers market & 100% to 110% in a sellers market)




What haven't I asked you that we need to know? (they should always have more to offer, if they don't, or they say someting like "it looks like we covered it all" run away, this person does not have your best interests in mind.)




Will you adjust your commission if we find the buyer for our house?
(3 years ago, I found a buyer for my house 2 days before my realtor listed, and still had to pay full commissions to my realtor; they still helped a lot at the closing)