How to Hire a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

Selling a home does not need to be a trying affair. While it is true that letting go of a property is complex and emotional, hiring a real estate agent to help you can mean the difference between a smooth, successful sale and a challenging experience. 

Selling a home requires a thorough assessment of the market, effective marketing strategies, skillful negotiation, and seamless coordination between multiple parties. 

Finding an agent to fit your home sale requires collaboration, expertise, and trust. To help guide homeowners, the team at Prevu Real Estate put together a few ideas to consider when searching for an agent to sell your home.

List your goals and needs 

Before hiring a realtor, write out your motivations, what services you expect, and how much you ideally want to net from the sale. 

You also want to understand the realities of your sale. Are you selling a rental home and already living in another house? Will you live in the dwelling as you sell it and search for a new one? 

You will also want to consider your reasons for moving. Are you relocating for a new job, upsizing, or downsizing based on family dynamics? Figuring out your situation will help you set expectations and deadlines for your move. 

Having clear goals helps you stay focused on a timeline and gives you a price range, allowing your realtor to develop a tailored strategy. You should think about what services you need from a broker, whether it is showing the home or negotiating the finer points of the deal with buyers. 

Know when to contact an agent to sell your home

Figuring out when to contract a listing agent depends on your situation. 

If you need an agent to help you set up pricing and market your home to potential buyers, you should find someone three months or so before you list the property. This way, they have plenty of time to consult with you about what potential upgrades or repairs you should invest in. 

Yet, if you do not need much from a listing agent beyond someone to show the property, you can wait a little longer before contracting their services. Either way, the more time you give yourself, the more time you’ll have to set up multiple interviews with brokers. 

Interview various listing agents

Once you lock in your needs, it is time to find the right realtor for your sale. While your friends and family may have recommendations, it’s best to explore as many options as possible before making a decision on who to work with. 

Have them walk you through their track record of dealing with buyer’s agents and home sellers, explaining how they navigate tricky situations. Whether you meet with an agent via word of mouth or through your own research, it’s essential to Google their name or the brokerage they work for to see their social media reviews. 

When you meet them, have them walk through your home and provide advice on repairs, renovations, or other cosmetic fixes that could increase the sale price of your home. Ask sellers agents how many homes they've sold in your area, how they utilize marketing, and their broker fee. Remember that you can always negotiate a listing agent’s commission fees to arrive at a rate that works for both parties. 

Interviewing multiple agents in your area will also give you more leverage in negotiations, as you can create competition by comparing rates. It is your opportunity to understand the realtors' personalities, professionalism, and communication styles. 

Red flags to consider when hiring an agent

Not every broker is a fit for your sale. Even if you worked with an agent in the past, someone else might be suited for your current deal. Either way, when you are meeting agents, watch out for folks who are extremely pushy. 

Aggressiveness is suitable for dealing with buyer's brokers on the other side of the table, but if the agent is pushy with you to sign the listing agreement, especially at the first meeting, you may want to avoid that person. An overly forward listing agent may even pressure you to take a lower offer so they can work on another deal as soon as possible. 

You want an agent that prioritizes your needs and works towards your goals, not just a commission. While being overly aggressive is not good, you also do not want an agent that takes a long time to get back to you. 

If it takes someone over half a day to respond to a note, chances are they can't give your home sale the attention it needs.

Discuss pricing strategy

When you set up your pricing strategy, you want to make sure you receive maximum value for your property. 

Your agent should understand the local market and be able to create a comparative market analysis to contrast your dwelling against local sales. By analyzing your home's location, size, condition, and features, an agent can give you a realistic price range for your home. 

As you prepare to price your home it’s vital to consider how quickly you need to sell. If you have the luxury of time, you’ll have more opportunity to price the home higher and see how it performs on the market. Either way, be sure you and the listing agent have an open conversation about potential pricing adjustments. 

Markets can change, and if your home doesn't receive the expected level of interest, having a plan for adjusting the price can keep your listing competitive. 

Understand the listing agreement

Before signing a listing agreement, you want to understand each clause of the contract as you prepare to market the home. 

The contract outlines the terms and conditions of your partnership throughout the selling process. These terms include the scope of services the realtor will provide, the property's listing price, and any specific terms unique to your situation. 

This agreement will also outline the realtor's commission fee, typically a percentage of the home’s final sale price. The agreement should also be clear about any specific marketing expenses that the agent will be covering. For instance, the agent will likely provide professional photos and video, or in some cases complimentary home staging.

In addition to commission, sellers will be responsible for other closing costs like transfer taxes or attorney fees, depending on the state. Understanding all closing costs will help estimate potential proceeds from the sale.  

Lastly, you want to have a clear idea of the duration of the partnership between you and your agent. If your home does not sell, you want to know how long the agent will work on the sale before you need to explore a Plan B.

The transaction process 

The last part of hiring a listing agent is the transaction process. 

By this point, you’ll ideally have met an agent you like, understand the listing agreement, and start the home sale process. Your broker will list the home on local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) as well as major property sites, advise on staging to prepare the home, handle open houses, negotiate with buyers, and guide you through the closing process. 

Dealing with multiple buyers can get stressful quickly if you have to remember details about each one. Having a listing agent helps you manage these details, keeping your transaction organized and on track for an easy sale.