Ready To List With A Real Estate Agent? 12 Things Your Cedar Rapids Agent Must Do To Maximize Your Profits!

Ready to place your home on the market? Do you understand the process and details of selling a home?

Before you list with an agent, educate yourself on all the factors that will affect your profit. Be as informed as possible so you can make the absolutely best business decisions. After all, the sale of your home is a business decision!

Most of us are not tuned into the trends and fluctuations of the real estate market. Likewise, we are not aware of the necessary steps to maximize profits on the sale of our home.

Typically, we rely heavily upon an agent to lead us down the most profitable path. Considering our home is usually the most valuable asset we own, doesn’t it make sense to list with someone who will maximize our profits? But how do we find that agent?

This report is designed to empower you with critical information necessary to evaluate an agent’s qualifications and help you identify the professional top producer. The more meticulous you become in selecting the right agent, the higher your profits will be!

Start by doing some research:

The Phone Interview- Place a call to each of the agents on your list. Do an initial ‘feel out’ interview over the phone so when you meet you will both be prepared.

Request a Complete Plan- From title to escrow, request a complete plan as to the services they can provide for you.

Evaluate Their Team- Top producers will have established relationships with lenders, title reps, inspectors, everything. They are there for your benefit and if they are ill prepared to handle all the steps, you are being short changed.

Insist on A Written Marketing Plan-To sell a home in today’s market, it takes more than putting a sign in the yard, a lock box on the door and agent tour on Tuesday.

A true professional knows exactly what he or she has to do to get a home sold and will be willing to show you in writing. There should be 17 to 20 different strategies in their marketing plan.

Look for innovative ways to attract home buyers. Demand 24-hour advertising, lead accountability and tracking services. These services exist and you should insist upon them.

Insist on Pre-qualification- Even though this is not always controllable when another agent is involved, it is imperative to never take your house off of the market unless you know the status of the potential buyer.

A Net Sheet- Request a complete net sheet, minus commissions and fees, showing your exact proceeds when you list your property.

Accessibility-How easy is it to get in touch with the potential agent? Document how quickly they returned your call. Remember: they will be returning calls to your prospective home buyers.
Ask what their call return policy to a buyer is, not only personally but their staff as well.

Internet Presence-What search engine ranking does that agent have? Do they have a plan on following up with the potential buyer leads that are generated from their online efforts?

Direct Mail- Investigate the agent's capacity to send direct mail. How often do prospects receive mail? Is it professional? Does the mail piece motivate prospects to respond?

Honest Feedback After Each Showing- There is nothing more disappointing than having a showing and getting your hopes up for a sale, and then never hearing what the buyers thought.

Negotiation Strategy- Have a written, well-conceived negotiation strategy. The old adage, "You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate" rings true in real estate. Insist on a sound negotiation strategy before you entertain buyers.

A Written Guarantee-All industries offer guarantees on their service or product, except real estate. If a real estate agent is confident in his or her service, they should be willing to guarantee the sale of your home in writing.

We sincerely hope these tips and ideas are of value to you. If there is any way we can be of service, please contact our office.   The Cedar Rapids Real Estate Market is still good and I can show you how to get the most money for your home.

We would consider it a privilege to be of service to you!