Top Questions to Ask a Realtor in MA | Winchester Real Estate

Thinking of buying or selling a home? One of the most important decisions you can make is selecting a highly experienced agent to facilitate a smooth and successful process.

Let’s face it: buying or selling can be a stressful experience that involves some serious decision-making and a lot of money. Why gamble with just any agent, especially someone with limited knowledge or experience? Take the time to interview top producers. If they are confident and seasoned agents, they will be happy to prove their value to you.

In this blog post, we’re sharing some of the best questions you can ask an agent. From general hiring inquiries to those questions specific to buying or selling, we’ve got you covered. Take your time and find the right agent to guide you—it’s absolutely worth it!

What To Ask Before Hiring A Realtor

How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job?

While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate — like many other professions — is mostly learned on the job. The more transactions an agent has managed, the more challenges they have encountered. That means they know what obstacles you might face and they can more confidently lead you through a smooth process.

What designations do you hold?

Designations such as GRI and CRS, which require that agents take additional, specialized real estate training, are held only by about one-quarter of real estate practitioners. This type of real training matters and can distinguish a qualified agent over others who may claim to know the business but haven’t invested in their industry education.

How many homes did you and your real estate brokerage sell last year?

By asking this question, you’ll get a good idea of how much experience the practitioner has. When selling what is likely your most valuable asset, you want to make sure that the real estate professional has a track record of success and a proven strategy in place to not only sell your home but to sell it for the greatest amount of money in the shortest amount of time.

It is also important to look for someone who has aggressive and innovative approaches, and knows how to market your property competitively. Digital marketing experience and responsiveness are important skillsets to maximize your home’s exposure to potential homebuyers as many of them start their search online.

What’s your business philosophy?

While it might not be the most obvious question to ask, it is important that you understand the philosophy and values of the real estate professional you decide to work with. Ensuring that there is an alignment with how they conduct business, will enable you to feel more comfortable with the process and ultimately allow you to build a stronger relationship with your real estate agent, which can inevitably impact your overall success and satisfaction with the real estate sale and buying process.

Selling your home in the Boston area? Consider these other posts from our blog.

Questions for Sellers To Ask

How many days does it take you to sell the average home? How does that compare to the overall market?

The agent you interview should have these facts on hand, and be able to present market statistics from the local MLS to provide a comparison.

How close were the final sale prices of the homes you sold to the initial asking prices?

Being knowledgeable about a real estate agent’s sales statistics is important to understand their true track record of success. One of the critical statistics to check is the sale price to original list price ratio. This provides insight into what percentage of the original list price the real estate agent you’re interviewing on average attains when they sell the property for their clients.

In some instances, real estate agents will provide inflated sales prices to prospective home sellers in order to “win the listing”. By making sure you understand their sales price to original list price ratio, you will be able to validate whether they typically sell the home for more than the list price, or whether they consistently are underselling the property.

How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently?

Again, this is not a question with a correct answer, but how you judge the response will reflect your own desires. Do you want updates twice a week or do you prefer not to be bothered unless there’s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, text, or an in-person visit?

Questions for Buyers To Ask

How many buyers are you working with right now? Do you work independently or with a team?

While you don’t want to work with an agent who has no other clients (a red flag), you also don’t want someone who is too busy when you want to get out there and see houses. A team approach is often a great way to work with a top-producing agent and also benefit from the availability of multiple agents. Let’s say your agent is tied up at the exact moment your dream property comes on the market. Someone else on the team may be able to show you the home and also step in should other needs arise in the process.

What other types of support and supervision does your brokerage provide to you?

Having resources such as in-house support staff, access to a real estate attorney, and assistance with technology can help an agent sell your home.

Can you recommend service providers who can help me obtain a mortgage, make home repairs, and assist with other tasks?

A successful real estate transaction involves a number of different service providers in order to navigate the home purchasing process. By working with a real estate professional who has an established network of trusted service providers, enables you to move forward with confidence. These providers can include real estate attorneys, inspectors, lenders, contractors, electricians, home insurance providers and more.

Preparing for a home purchase? Read these other blogs for helpful buying advice!

Even More Questions to Consider…

Will you represent me exclusively, or will you represent both the buyer and the seller in the transaction?

While working in a dual agency, when an agent represents both the buyer and seller on the same transaction, is relatively uncommon, it is something that is important to ask and understand. A true real estate professional will make sure to provide advance notice and disclose their relationship with you and any other parties as it relates to the transaction so that you know who their fiduciary responsibility is for. By having a real estate agent work exclusively for you and not the other party, you are able to have more confidence that they are negotiating in your best interest, which is critical in such an important transaction.

Could you please give me the testimonials of your recent clients?

Making sure to review the testimonials from a real estate agent’s past clients is an important way to validate not only their ability to achieve your real estate goals but also to make sure they do it ethically and in a way that you feel comfortable with. Asking for testimonials, or even references of past clients, can provide you further insight into the experience that you can anticipate when working with a real estate agent.

The Bottom Line

Working with the right experienced real estate agent can be your single biggest advantage in buying or selling a home. Find someone you can trust—someone who has been through the process countless times before. Let your knowledgeable and confident agent lead the way through the various steps involved. There is no better way to ensure that your experience is as smooth as possible.

Considering the sale of your North of Boston home? Discover Andersen Group Realty’s unparalleled selling services today. Click here to send us an email or call 781-729-2329 to get started.