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Choosing between 2 realtors

NewYorkMinute
10 years ago

I have a high end home in a generally low end neighborhood (yeah, I know. Won't do that again). Houses within a mile of mine are thankfully selling for what I'm hopnig to get for my home.

I have a realtor from town that knows my area very well but deals more with lower end homes. I didn't exactly mesh with her. She's a little bit used-car salesy. Really pushing me to sign the agreement and list quickly.

The other realtor is from a much better location 20 min away. He is familiar with selling houses in that price point but doesn't really know my neighborhood.

Am I better off going with the person I think will do a better job marketing or the person who is local who I think will stop by my house more often and make sure everything looks OK (we have to sell vacant due to a relo).

Comments (9)

  • geoffrey_b
    10 years ago

    A person who knows the area, may already have a list of potential buyers who want to move there. This is what happend to us - the gal sold our home in less than a week! However that was long before the 2008 housing bubble.

  • Linda
    10 years ago

    Am I better off going with the person I think will do a better job marketing or the person who is local who I think will stop by my house more often and make sure everything looks OK (we have to sell vacant due to a relo).

    Your realtors job is to market and sell the house, not stop by your house to make sure everything is ok. Go with the person who will do the best marketing to get the house sold! 20 minutes is nothing in a realtors world. Generally, realtors work in counties, not neighborhoods. If its that crucial that you have someone check the house frequently, ask a neighbor or ask the realtor that you prefer if he will do it weekly. (sometimes there is a fee for this) I would NOT list with someone that you dont mesh with just because they are local and can check on the house. She sells lower end homes, she probably won't have higher end buyers anyway. You are most likely MLS, she will bring her buyers if she has any. The important part is listing with someone who you can work with and who you already like. Why would you want to get into a contract with someone you have already determined you dont care for?

  • scarlett2001
    10 years ago

    Why choose the lesser of two evils? Interview more agents until you feel comfortable with the person's skills, knowledge and personality style that fits with your needs. Selling your home is a very big deal, you must work as a team.

  • ellendi
    10 years ago

    I agree with scarlett. When I look at our local private newspapers, the agencies are always showing off what they sold and who is the most successful agent.
    There are many choices out there and you have to be comfortable with the agent that you choose.

  • C Marlin
    10 years ago

    Generally, realtors work in counties, not neighborhoods.
    Never heard this one. Every realtor I've worked with worked the local area, not county. My county is way too big for any agent to know well. This said, I agree, keep looking.

  • scarlett2001
    10 years ago

    We actually interviewed about 8 before selecting one that we really liked. Seems to me that if the agent is not familiar with the neighborhood, how can they give accurate comps?

  • rrah
    10 years ago

    "Seems to me that if the agent is not familiar with the neighborhood, how can they give accurate comps?"

    I would assume that most MLS's operate in a similar fashion. Sold properties are included in the database. In order to comp a house, even if one is familiar with the neighborhood, an agent is likely going to the MLS database for more accurate information. Choosing accurate comps and doing a market analysis is part science and part art I think. It is objective in the sense that one uses a factual bit of info, like square feet, to compare. It's subjective in understanding how a community feels about a particular school or neighborhood and making decisions about which houses to use as a comparison.

    The area an agent works in will vary from market to market. In a big city agents might specialize in particular neighborhoods. In smaller towns and cities, agents might work in an entire county or larger area. I worked primarily in one county, but certainly listed and sold houses in 4 other counties that are nearby. Mostly it was near the county borders. In some instances it was easier to get to the neighboring county rather than other parts of my home county.

  • cricket5050
    10 years ago

    Go to both agents websites and view their listings. Some agents market a home better than others. A neighbor down the street has his house for sale and his pictures the agent took look horrible. He said she took them with her cell phone and he was very unhappy.

    I would never use an agent that does not have professional pictures of my house on the website.

  • Linda
    10 years ago

    CMarlin, the operative word was "generally". It depends on where you are. Guess you have "heard it now".

    That said, many realtors in my area, work 3 or 4 COUNTIES.

    This post was edited by linda117 on Mon, Jan 6, 14 at 9:54