Working with a Real Estate Agent vs. Going it Alone
This is the second part in my series on Selling a home in Iowa City. Once you have prepared your home for sale it’s time to move to the next step. Will you list your house or condo with a real estate company, or will you try selling the house on your own? It’s tempting to think that with the help of the Internet it’s easy to go the For Sale By Owner route.
There are a ton of For Sale By Owner, (FSBO) Websites to choose from that claim you can save a lot of money by selling your house yourself for just a nominal fee. It might work, but then it might not. The fact is that according to statistics, around 10% of FSBO sellers are successful in selling their homes. That’s pretty low odds in my book. A less risky way to get your home sold is to find a good agent to work with. You might be tempted to work with an agent just because they work for a certain big box company. That might work out, or it might not. Don’t assume that every agent that works at a well known company is good. There are good agents at small real estate companies and large real estate companies – And we all end up marketing on the same Internet. It’s how the individual agent will represent you that makes the difference. What makes a good agent? Keep in mind that listing agents don’t sell homes, we market them. What you need to sell your house or condo is an agent who is motivated, knows the ins and outs of the Iowa City real estate market and knows how to market your home effectively to get it sold!
How to Choose an Agent to Call
The Internet is your friend when it comes to choosing an agent. You can do a lot of research online about an agent before asking them to your house to interview them.
A good place to start is to Google common real estate terms and see which agents pop up.
In an age when almost all buyers are online, the agent you work with needs to know how to use the Internet to market and sell houses. Once you’ve narrowed your options to potential agents to work with you can look for agent reviews. Along with a good track record for selling homes, an agent also needs to have good communication skills. This is important on two levels. One is that you feel that the lines of communication are always open when you have questions or concerns. The other is that you have the confidence that they will be able to represent you properly in the negotiations when you get an offer on your house.
Meeting with Agents
Of course you won’t just hire an agent based on your research on the Internet. At some point you’ll need to meet with them. The important thing to remember is that there is no obligation to list with a Realtor, just because you invited them to the house. Just as important as their expertise as a real estate professional, is the fact that you should “connect” and have the feeling you can trust them. Ultimately you’re about to entrust the selling of your house to a stranger. You want to feel good enough about them to know they’ve got your back and will be there for you every step of the way, from listing to sale.
Ultimately choosing the right Realtor to sell your home in Iowa City is a question of doing your homework. Marketing is something real estate agents know a thing or two about so we can all talk a good talk. What you need to do is figure out is if they will do what they say they will do. That often comes down to just trusting your gut!
Marsha Paulsen Peters says
HELLO. How long have you worked as a realtor in Iowa City ?
— Marsha Paulsen Peters
Denise Hamlin says
Hello Marsha, I became a Realtor in 2006 and got my Broker’s license at the end of 2011. That’s also when I started my own company. I’d say I got into real estate at a good time as I had to learn fast to make it when the market collapsed around 2008. The market is much better these days, but houses still don’t sell themselves. A good Realtor will make all the difference. If you’d like to call for a chat sometime I’d love the opportunity to answer any other questions you have. ~ Denise