Tag: Best Realtor Fort Collins

Why You Should Be Working With An Experienced Agent

“Experience is the teacher of all things.” -Julius Caesar

Does it really make a difference to work with an experienced agent?  I have been ask this question more than once. I feel it does make a difference.  With nearly 24 years of experience working in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado I know that I know so much more than I did 20 years ago.  But you still want to know what difference it does make.  So I will tell you.  

Working with an experienced agent can save you money.  Experience teaches you how to negotiate.  Your agent may have even taken classes on how to be a better negotiator. In addition to strong negotiation skills, your agent can direct you to the best lender with the lowest fees and interest rates. These lenders can also provide a smooth process, and get us to the closing table on time. All of this saves you money. An experienced agent can guide you through the inspection so that you can end up with a home in the condition that you need for long term enjoyment. That can save you money long term. They can save you money through resources that they have at their fingertips.  

Working with an experienced agent can save you time.  Experienced agents know how to listen. They hear what you are saying and perhaps what you are not saying.  They see body language and know how to read it.  All of this can shorten the length of time that it takes for you to find the home that is perfect for you.  They know what questions to ask and how to direct you to make the best decisions for your and your family.  In a hot market saving time can mean saving money as prices climb. 

When selling your home working with an experienced agent can save you frustration.  An experienced agent knows the red flags and can avoid them.  They know what to suggest that you do so there are not problems.  They also know what to do to keep a transaction process running so you can keep smiling all of the way through.

Experienced agents have the know-how, the skills, education and the resources to keep a transaction running smoothly and their clients smiling all of the way through to the end and beyond.  Choose your agent carefully and enjoy the experience. Contact us so that we can provide a smooth real estate transaction from start to finish.

How to Interview an Agent

You have decided it is time to sell your home and you need an agent.  Spending time selecting an agent is one of the most important parts of the process.  Asking great questions will help you be successful. So How to Interview an Agent?

Consumers think that all Realtors do the same things to sell homes.  This information could not be further from the truth.  You have heard that in business 80% of sales are done by 20% of the people.  In real estate it is a stunning 95% to 5%.  Having been a Realtor for our 23 years I found that to be eye opening. Given these numbers is not hard to see why there is so much dissatisfaction among the public.  It is easy to get stuck with a real estate agent that does not do much business and has a poor work ethic.  Becoming a real estate agent is an easy task.  Take a class and spend the required number of hours in the classroom, take a test and you are an agent.  Then you hang your license with a brokerage.

How do you avoid getting a newbie agent with limited experience that has great enthusiasm, but not a clue? Asking some good questions before you start working with an agent can go a long way in helping select one of the good ones that is out there doing the business and has the experience to help you navigate through the process and end up with a successful outcome.  Understanding how to choose an agent can be critical to your success.  How to Interview an Agent? Here are some good questions to ask.

  • How long have you been selling real estate?
    • Experience is helpful, but that does not mean that a newer, not brand new, agent cannot be a rising star.
  • How many homes did you sell last year?  Of the homes that you sold last year how many were assisting sellers and how many were assisting buyers?
  • When assisting a seller what was the average days on the market and list to sale price ratio?  You do not want to hire an agent that will inflate the value of the home just to get you to list with them.
  • Do you have a personal assistant?
  • I have heard that the internet is a critical tool for selling a home.  How will you market my home online?  Your website? Facebook? Twitter? 90% of buyers find their home online so an online presence is very important! Your agent should be marking your home EVERYWHERE!
  • Do you photograph your own listings or hire a professional?  Do you do videos or    virtual tours?
  • Will you show me how to make my home more marketable?  Do you do home staging?
  • How will you communicate with me through the process?
  • Do you have a feedback system?
  • How assessable will you be through the process?
  • As production goes, if I called your broker would he/she tell me that you were a top producing agent or a middle of the road agent?
  • Will you allow me to terminate the listing contract if I am not completely satisfied?

There are great agents out there. That is what you need to know about How to Interview an Agent  Make sure that you do your due diligence and find them. These are great questions that should help you weed out and find a good one! A good agent can give you the best chance of a great real estate experience. Additionally, Contact us, we can find you an outstanding agent anywhere.