Questions to Ask When Choosing a Real Estate Practitioner

• How long have you been in residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job?
  
  
• Are you a REALTOR®? (Members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, a trade organization of nearly 1 million members nationwide, subscribe to a stringent code of ethics that helps guarantee the highest level of service and integrity.)
  
  
• How many days did it take you to sell the average home? How did that compare to the overall market?
  
  
• How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final sale prices?
  
  
• What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my home? (Look for someone who has aggressive, innovative approaches, not just someone who´s going to put a sign in the yard and hope for the best.)
  
  
• Can you recommend service providers who can assist me in obtaining a mortgage, making repairs on my home, and other things I need done? (Keep in mind here that real estate professionals should generally recommend more than one provider and should tell you if they receive any compensation from any provider.)
  
  
• What´s your business philosophy? (While there´s no right answer to this question, the response will help you assess what´s important to the real estate practitioner-fast sales, service, etc.-and determine how closely the practitioner´s goals and business emphasis mesh with your own.)
  
  
• How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently? Using what media? (Again, this is not a question with a correct answer, but that one reflects your desires. Do you want updates twice a week or don´t want to be bothered unless there´s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or a personal visit?)
  
  
• Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most recent clients?