I’ve said before that finding the right Realtor to represent you is the key to achieving the best result and to ensuring that the process goes as smoothly as possible. I’ve also said that the most important thing to look for in a Realtor is trust. Assuming you’ve read Finding an Out of Town Agent and are now at the stage when you’re ready to interview Realtors, what questions are you going to ask them? Luckily for you, I’ve put together a list of questions for my clients to ask when they’re in this kind of situation. The answers to these questions should give you a good feel for how trustworthy and capable each Realtor is. Feel free to ask any or all of these questions, in any order you choose, and to ask any other questions you’d like, as well. And now, without further ado and in no particular order, here are the questions:

1. How long have you been a licensed Realtor?
2. Do you do this full time?
3. How would you describe your personal style and business philosophy?
4. Do you specialize in any particular areas or types of properties?
5. Where do most of your clients come from?
6. What’s your goal for each client?
7. How many transactions have you done in the past year? 2 years? 3 years?
8. What’s the approximate breakdown between buyers and sellers? Do you work with more of one than the other?
9. How many buyer clients and seller clients do you usually have on the go at the same time?
10. What would your clients say is the best thing about working with you?
11. Do you preview homes before you take us to see them?
12. Who looks after us when you’re on vacation?
13. Will we be dealing with you exclusively or will we be dealing with other members of your “team” for certain things?
14. How long do you think it’ll take us to find the right home?
15. How much do you think it’ll cost?
16. When will you be available to show us homes?
17. How much do you think our current home is worth?
18. How long do you think it’ll take to sell?
19. What kind of closing date do you think the average buyer will want?
20. What can we do to it to make our home sell more quickly and for more money?  Do you have people you can recommend to help us with all these things?
21. Who are the likely buyers for our home?
22. What kind of pricing strategy do you recommend and why?
23. Are there times to list our home that are better than others?
24. What type of marketing do you find most effective for homes like ours?
25. What commission do you charge? What other expenses will we have?
26. Can you provide us with contact info for 3 clients who were in similar circumstances to ours and who you’ve worked with in the past year?

Ultimately, the decision is going to boil down to your gut feel. Remember to look for trust and ability and Buy the Steak, Not the Sizzle. If you have any questions for ME, please feel free to contact me anytime.

And as always, if you know of anyone who’s looking for an honest realtor who really knows his stuff and doesn’t pressure his clients, Please Don’t Keep Me a Secret. I really appreciate your referrals. Thanks for reading and don’t be shy if you have any questions or comments!