Selling a house is a huge decision, and it’s something that you will want to enter into carefully to make sure that it all goes smoothly. You wouldn’t trust a random stranger to take on the job of selling your property, because that could leave you in a sticky situation if they either put off a good buyer or end up making the house seem like it is worth less than it is, meaning that the buyers put in lower offers. For this reason, you want a competent and trustworthy agent.
What are the markers of a good agent? Well, here are four signs that you can trust an agent and that they’ll do a good job of selling your home in Cincinnati:
1 – A Long Track Record
If you want a smooth and efficient sale, then you should look for an agent that has a good track record and that has sold numerous other properties. Yes, every agent has to get that first sale before they become ‘experienced’, but usually they’ll work for a company under the supervision of other experienced people before they start going out on their own. If you’re working with a freelance agent or a small company then you should look at their track record to make sure that you’re dealing with a company that can sell, rather than someone who got into real estate because they had heard it was a good way to make money.
2 – A Clear Marketing Strategy
When you are selling your home, you need to make sure that it stands out against all of the other properties in the area. This means good photography, clear but eye-catching listings, and a strategy that matches the target audience. Online marketing works very well for almost every buyer these days. There is still the case to be made for open houses for some demographics and knowing where to list the property is important.
If your prospective estate agent does not have a clear marketing plan that they can explain to you – and enough confidence and knowledge to lay out the reasoning behind the plan, then walk away.
3 – Customer Service Skills
In Cincinnati, customer service is something that really matters in this industry, both in terms of how they deal with the seller and how they deal with the buyers. If your estate agent is bored, impatient, churlish or unfriendly to you, how do you think they will be with the numerous people that will want to view the property before they buy it? Someone with poor customer service skills may indeed close sales, but they’ll be closing at a lower price and closing people who are desperate to move to relocate. You want to be able to sell to the people who have choices, and who want your property, rather than those who just want “any” property.
An agent that is patient, personable and pleasant to deal with will be much better for your prospects of getting a good price for your home. When you’re looking to sell your house, treat the interactions you have with each estate agent as an interview, and don’t work with an agent that makes you feel like you’re inconveniencing them.
4 – They Care About Your Area
Some people become estate agents because they are interested in property, but some do it as a career change because they have noticed that it’s a thriving industry. There’s often a huge difference in the selling skills of those people.
It’s much easier to sell something if you believe in it. It’s much easier to sell a house if you know the area that the house is in. A good agent will try to get to know the areas that they operate in as well as possible or may even have ties to the area themselves. They will be able to talk confidently about amenities, seasonal events, public transport links, crime rates and the other kinds of issues that a buyer might be interested in.
Some agents take a different approach, and instead of specializing in a particular area, they might specialize in a particular type of property such as barn conversions. This means that they may be dealing with properties all over the state or even country. In that case, they might not know any one area well (but they should still show that they have done their homework for the property), but they will know what a buyer is likely to be interested in. With period properties, tiny homes, and other special property types the buyers are often very well educated, and they will ask more detailed questions that a general property person might not know the answer to so well.
Trust Your Instincts
With any kind of major deal, it pays to shop around, talk to a few different Cincinnati real estate companies, and then trust your instincts. The process of buying and selling property is something that may take a long time, and it could be stressful for you if you are in need of a quick sale or are on a deadline for moving. For this reason, you will want to find someone who is easy to deal with and that you are comfortable working with. Often, just having someone that you like and feel comfortable with is enough to make the job that little bit easier.
If you meet with a few different agents and find that there are a couple that seem equally qualified in terms of experience and past closing history, then let your instincts be the deciding factor. There may be one agent that communicates in the way that you prefer (email/phone calls) or one that appears to be particularly attentive and interested in your property. Working with them could give you some confidence that the sale is going to progress at a reasonable rate, and that alone is worth giving them your business, because it’s one less distraction while you are working on the task of finding somewhere else to live yourself.
