Find and agent with knowledge and experience.
Choose an agent who knows the Marin market really well. Working effectively in Marin real estate includes these skills:
- Knowledge of many towns, neighborhoods, streets, and homes. You don’t need to hire a Realtor who specializes or even lives in a particular neighborhood. An agent with experience often knows the sale history of many neighborhoods, even individual streets and homes. They understand the strong points and potential issues.
- An experienced Realtor has confidence in her ability, balanced with a commitment to honesty and transparency. Ask hard questions; you can often tell if you are receiving honest answers. Confidence and honesty will allow you to enter into a trusting partnership.
- To differentiate experienced agents, ask about the sales they’ve had in the prior year and sales of homes similar to yours. How many sales had multiple offers? Sold for more than asking price? Sold quickly or off-market?
- Don’t be distracted by promises of elaborate marketing plans. These are often more for the befit of the agent, not your home sale. Internet exposure has leveled the field in real estate marketing.
- Hire someone who isn’t going to leave money on table. Ask agents what they would recommend you do to improve your house to realize the best price – that is, what improvements make sense for the largest return on your investment. And, find out whether they have a good recommendations to cost-effectively implement the work that needs doing.
- Review recommendations from an agent’s past clients and ask if you can contact these former clients.
An experienced listing agent who has excellent marketing and negotiation skills and a good reputation in the Marin real estate community can represent you in the highest fashion.
How to work with your real estate agent to get the best price.
Once you’ve chosen an agent that you trust, it is time to let go of any preconceptions and let go of your home. Put the agent in charge:
- Trust that your agent knows what attracts the buyers. This is often completely different from your preferences.
- Trust your agent to implement improvements that will net you the highest return. Yes, it’s your house, but selling houses isn’t your expertise. After all, when you hire a plumber, you don’t tell him how to install pipes.
- Act on your Realtor’s recommendations. While you may not think it’s important to update a shabby bathroom because the rest of the house looks great, your agent knows that the unimproved bathroom will make buyers wonder what else might be need updating or may be problematic.
- Agree to stage your home. This is important in the Marin market because buyers are making a substantial purchase, sometimes millions of dollars. Yes, your cousin in Kati, Texas sold their house without staging, but the price point there may have been $400,000. Read more here about the importance of staging.
Don’t be offended by your Realtor’s suggestions – remember that it’s not personal.