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Andrea Harlin, M.A.
Part 2 of 3
Six Questions You Should Ask an Estate
Agent
By Izzy Evans
Taken from the article "
Six Questions You Should Ask an
Estate
Agent," in Part 1, I discussed what six crucial
questions every potential buyer must ask their agent
when considering buying property. I will now talk about
the six crucial questions every
seller
should be asking
an agent.
Real Estate Questions to Ask When Buying and
Selling Properties
If You Are Selling:
1.
How much do you charge?
This is a crucial question for anyone using an
estate agent to sell their house. Many people do
not realize that you can negotiate over this figure
which can save you some money. However, you
should not haggle too hard as the fee is
representative of the quality of service and how
much effort the estate agent will put in. A higher
price should usually, but not necessarily, mean a
better quality of service. Most estate agents will
charge between 1 and 3 percent of the sale price.
2.
How can I contact you?
During the house selling process, you will want
to be able to contact you estate agent easily and
to get a quick response. Having a hard-to-reach
estate agent can add unnecessary stress to the
process. You can judge for yourself how
contactable an estate agent is by asking
questions and making inquiries before the
house-selling process has begun.
3.
How will my property be marketed?
Houses are no longer just advertised with a
picture in the office window and an advert in the
local paper. An estate agent should be up to date
on the ways the Internet can be used to market
and promote a house. You could also find out
whether they use websites like Prime Location
(www.PrimeLocation.com.)
4.
How will you present my property?
House-buying can be extremely influenced by
first impressions. Make sure to ask the estate
agent how they plan to present the house. Have a
look at other properties they have for sale on
their website - are the pictures high quality?
5.
How long, on average, does a property take to
sell?
With this question, you are looking for a good
middle ground. If properties take, on average, a
long time to sell, the estate agent may not be
doing enough, or the property might be
overpriced. If their properties fly off the shelves,
it may be an indicator that they are underselling.
Are you
a member of any regulatory Organization?
There are several organizations that the majority of good-
quality estate agents will belong to, such as the National
Association of Real Estate Agents & Realtors. These
organizations have a practice code of doing things, and
membership into one of these organizations is a sign of a
reputable and higher-quality service.