Selling Your Home? What to Look for in a Good Seller's Agent

Selling your house is a big step. A home is typically the largest investment most people make in their lifetimes, and you want to make sure it's done right.

You might have lived there for only a short time, or you might have spent a life there and raised your children, leading to many memories. Whatever the case may be, you want to find someone who will help you sell, and understand your needs.

When hiring a real estate agent, don't flip open the phone book and call the first one that catches your eye. If you can, ask friends, neighbors or family members for referrals.

Don't discount the "newbie" agent; while chances are they don't have a lot of time under their belt, they are usually more up to date on technology than some of the "oldies" might be. Technology is the biggest way that homebuyers are searching for homes now, so it's important to have a good online presence. Make sure if you do use a new agent, they have common sense enough to find out answers to any questions that you might have, if they don't have the answer themselves. It leads to a lot of frustration when rookies spew off an answer, only to find out later on that they were wrong.

Don't discount the "oldies" either. We've been in real estate a long time, and have a lot of experience under our belt. Chances are though; we're paying for our technological needs!

Look for designations, but don't put all your faith in them. You might see a real estate agent with designations such as CBR (Certified Buyer Representative) or GRI (Graduate Real Estate Institute) etc... While these are great designations to have, anyone can buy a designation. A smart real estate agent will learn and apply their knowledge from these classes to better serve their clients. Sometimes a real estate agent without a designation can wind up being easier to work with than one that does.

What you ultimately want to find is someone who will work with you on a personal level, as well as a professional one. You want someone who is sensitive to your needs, as well as knowledgeable about the market. If you have sensitive issues that you need to speak to your agent about, you want one that understands. Someone who will sit down, listen and spend some time. If you are an experienced seller, you might go for someone who is willing to come in, list your house and hand it over to his or her team to service. There is no right, and no wrong when working on a personal level, it comes down to personalities and whom you work best with.

Whomever you choose, make sure they stay in constant contact with you and keep you up to date with showings, market conditions and feedback. You want your home sale process to be an easy one.