How do you find a good realtor and what do you ask?

My husband and I want to sell our house in the next year. It is our first home we bought and had a terrible realtor. We did not get any good advice from our realtor. For example, we did not get an independent home inspection and our realtor told us independent inspections are no big deal since FHA will inspect the house. Well, FHA did not inspect the house and it had lots of problems. There are improvements we have to  make before we sell and do not want to over-improve the house and lose money (it's a 2 bdrm slab). I am scared to death to sell and buy another home because of the terrible experience we had. How do we find a realtor that can tell us what improvements to make before we sell and what questions do we ask to find a good one?

Thanks,

Lori.

Lori,

First of all I would like to say that I am very sorry for the bad experience that you had when you purchased your home.  I have never heard of a Realtor recommending that you didn't get an inspection.  A FHA inspection (as you probably know) only covers a small list of things that they consider important and that is not all that could be wrong with a home. 

There are several things I would look for in a Realtor.  You really need to find an agent who is involved in your market.  I would look for someone who has sold homes in your area and is a full time agent.  You should expect someone who devotes all of their time to the profession and doesn't just list homes on the side.  An agent with a record of sold homes in your area would have the experience to tell you what improvements to make in order to get the most money for your home.  In our current market some improvements are necessary in order to compete with others and even be considered.  There are many homes on the market and you control only 2 factors in the sale of your home, price and condition.

I would recommend getting an inspection before you list your home if you are worried about what might or might not be wrong.  Very few of my sellers do this but for those that do it eliminates surprises later when the buyer brings in an inspector and comes back with a long list of repairs.  An inspection would catch things that are not up to code or other improvements needed that are not obvious to you now. 

You could always hire a stager (recommended by your Realtor) to see what you can do to improve the appearance of your home.  A stager is a small investment in selling your greatest investment.

Finally, I would look for an agent who does more than just putting the home on the local MLS.  I would not sell my home with an agent who is not a premium member of Realtor.com.  In a world of Internet buyers it just makes sense to get the most exposure for your listing online.  Realtor.com can handle up to 25 pictures and your local MLS probably only does up to 10.  Exposure for your home is what you need and a good Realtor will provide that for your home.

When it comes to buying a new home always get an inspection!  There are so many opportunities right now.  Interest rates are down and home prices are great.  Take advantage of our great market. 

There is no better time to buy!

Wayne,

Thank you so much for your information! I appreciate it!

Lori

Thanks for asking such an important question, Lori!! As with ALL professionals, you CAN ask your friends and family who THEY dealt with, if the agent was GOOD. Here are a number of GOOD qualities in real estate agents: *They can talk TO you, NOT AT you.....(Do you feel they are LISTENING to you when you speak to them and do they make you feel at ease in the conversation? Do they make a "connection" with you?) *They have a GOOD track record..... can they give references (At LEAST 5 GOOD ones). *When you have the listing appointment, have they done a PROPER CMA on your home...showing you comparable properties to yours that have SOLD in the last 6 months or so in the community... and what the pricing trends are? *Will they INSIST on being involved in ALL parts of the sale? There over 200 steps to a real estate transaction...will they do the work needed to make sure your property gets sold? *Get what they say they will do to market your home IN WRITING.....and make them stick to it....if they do NOT do something they said they would do, you can FIRE them on the spot for NOT complying with a contractual obligation. *If your agent tells you you do NOT have to do something that is NEEDED for the sale of your home by law (like being honest in filling out the homeowners disclosure form), then right then and there you can FIRE him/her...if they are NOT ethical in something like that, then what else will they cut corners on? I hope this little list will help you!! Sincerely, Alexander Harb Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.