The real estate market is constantly changing, and you want an agent with a strong local presence, someone who knows the community and is experienced in pricing properties and negotiating sales. In addition, you want an agent with top-tier technology and tools to promote your listing.

What is a Seller’s Agent?

Seller’s agents, also called listing agents, are real estate professionals who help prepare and list a property for sale. They represent the person selling a property and must work in their best interests. They manage the listing and handle other facets of the home-selling process, such as:

• Helping you analyze the market to figure out if it is a good time to sell
• Giving you advice for maximizing your property’s value
• Connecting you with other professionals to help prepare or improve your home
• Staging your home if needed
• Helping you price your home
• Listing your home on the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS)
• Marketing your home: running tours, organizing open houses
• Serving as the go-between in negotiations with buyers
• Drawing up the purchase agreement

For a home seller, it is important to work with an agent who is trustworthy, experienced, and committed to their clients’ real estate goals.

Tips for finding a compatible agent
From RE/MAX …..

Research their reputation
Does a prospective agent have a strong online presence? And do their reviews reflect the experiences of recent clients? Working with a real estate professional who has a trustworthy reputation can help alleviate the jitters associated with the home-selling process, especially in a heightened market.

Meet in-person
Meeting face-to-face (in person or virtually) can help determine compatibility between an agent and a prospective seller. Sellers can identify if their personalities, values, and communication styles align. This can also serve as an opportunity to ask critical questions. How often will a client hear from their agent? Will the agent be easily accessible by phone, text or email? In any market, but especially one experiencing change, it’s essential to have strong lines of communication across an agreeable channel. Asking a prospective agent important questions specific to the property – like how they plan on marketing the home – can help dictate their style of conducting business.

RE/MAX agents have access to top-tier exclusive marketing tools that help clients’ listings stand out among the rest, including attention-grabbing templated videos, social media graphics, brochures, and more.

Look for experience
The number of years an agent has been in the business is a good indicator of the different types of housing markets in which they’ve conducted real estate business. But RE/MAX agents of all tenure take advantage of a wealth of resources that help them perform at their best. In addition, consider an agent’s portfolio of homes they’ve sold to determine their level of experience with comparable homes. It’s a fact – RE/MAX Associates have more real estate sales experience than other real estate agents.

Bottom Line: In any aspect of life it is essential to be informed in order to make sound decisions. The same holds true when choosing a real estate agent. Even if a realtor sounds great in the “About” section of their website bio, it is important that you meet them face-to-face in order to get a feel for their personality. And, experience is one of the most important aspects of finding a good realtor. When you meet a realtor for the first time, conduct an interview so that you can get a sense of their skills and experience. Ask if real estate is their full-time job as well as how many homes they sell per year.

Related Links:
How to Find, Interview and Hire a Real Estate Agent – The Balance
What You Should Know About Hiring a Real Estate Agent – Kiplinger

St. Petersburg Communities

If you’re interested in any of these of communities or live in one of them and are thinking of selling, call Estelia today!

Allendale Terrace
Bahama Shores
Bayway Isles
Coquina Key
Crescent Heights
Crescent Lake
Downtown
Greater Pinellas Point
Historic Kenwood
Historic Old Northeast
Historic Roser Park
Historic Uptown
Isla del Sol
Old Southeast
Placida Bayou
Snell Isle