INFORMATION ON REALTORS Provided by Ken Huebsch @ 717 514-1793 Ken@KensHomesales.com
How to Interview local Real Estate Agents
Choosing a professional real estate agent can be a very imposing task. This person is responsible for finding your new home or selling your home, guiding you through the home inspection process and negotiating a good price and terms. These are important tasks that should be taken seriously. That’s why finding a skilled real estate agent is key to a successful real estate transaction. Here are several tips for interviewing local real estate agents:
Ask all agents that you interview, the same questions so you can compare their answers and ability to communicate. Write out your questions so you don’t forget any, and take notes during the interviews. You think you’ll remember what they say, but the specifics will begin to blur as you interview the second and third agent.
Ask the real estate agents how long they've been in business and how many homes they’ve helped people buy and sell during the last year. An agent with experience is a very valuable asset but, with the current fluctuations in real estate, an agent with recent experience is even more valuable. Also ask how long they've been helping people buy and sell homes in the area in which you want to live. You want a real estate agent who is truly an expert on that neighborhood.
Get at least three references of past clients from each of the real estate agents. Then follow up with those references. Ask a variety of questions such as:
*What was it like to work with the agent? *Would you work with him or her again? *How knowledgeable was the agent? *What was the best thing about working with the agent? If you’re looking for a professional real estate agent, I’d be honored to be interviewed for the job. Call me or email me to schedule an interview Ken Huebsch 717 514-1793 or Ken@KensHomeSales.com
MY SKILLS... why Hire Me as your Real Estate Agent? - The skill of managing time and following a strict schedule, to allow the client to receive efficient response time and results.
- The skill of being able to focus, not be distracted by, computer, cell phone and staff members to achieve the clients' end result with clarity.
- The skill of looking for and finding qualified buyers and sellers, therefore a sale is achieved as the desired result.
- The skill of turning leads into appointments, causing more listings and more buyers for my listings.
- The skill of taking a prospect that set an appointment and turn them into a highly pre-qualified appointment, more appointmentsmore sales; therefore my clients receive more quality exposure.
- The skill of making an enthusiastic, energetic, presentation, to have the client understand my passion.
- The skill of pricing property to sell, and ability to convince both the buyer and seller if that is the right price.
- The skill of showing properties to a buyer in a manner that causes the buyer to buy today, making the seller receive a faster sale to net more.
- The skill of dealing with sellers' and buyers' excuses and objections to help and answer and see clear to all of them to make a decision.
- The skills of bringing buyers and sellers together through negotiations to lead to a sale.
- The skill of delegation, to delegate those responsibilities and details of the process to allow me to deal with priorities and move along a transaction to close.
- The skill of doing it, day in and day out, consistently and with persistence.
- The skill of asking pertinent questions to get buyers and sellers involved in the sales process.
- The skill of listening intensely of what buyers, sellers say. Also the skill of listening to what is not being said.
- The skill of getting buyers/sellers to work with me effectively, for a more efficient process.
- The skill of providing services that will cause my customers to keep coming back to me; and refer people to me forever and enable my data base to keep growing.
- The skill to be able to practice my skills with intensity, so when in the game of sales, I know the plays to succeed.
- The skills of developing motivation in my sellers to work each day with excitement to have my clients react.
- The skill of being willing to tell a client the truth and being able to walk away if it is not in the anyone's best interest.
I've had my Home Listed for 6 Months and it Hasn't Sold. Should I Change Agents? I'm going to go out on a limb and contradict every other answer you've probably gotten. I would not necessarily suggest you change Agents! I have been a full-time Agent for over 19 years and am Agent of the Year for my Prudential's Harrisburg Region (Carlisle through Lebanon) for both 2008 and 2009. This is a very tough economy. Listings are sitting because there are fewer Buyers out there right now. This has been the case for almost a year. Look closely at what your Agent is doing. It is OK to hold him accountable! Get specifics on where he is advertising. Are you on all the Real Estate sites? I mean.. everywhere? (I can expand on them if you'd like to contact me.) Is he doing monthly Open Houses? Typically open houses yield few actual buyers, but in this market you want as much exposure as necessary. Does your home have a Full Motion Video or Visual Tour posted on the internet? (again, everywhere!) Are you receiving feedback on your showings? This one is a little tougher: some Agents ignore my requests for feedback; but I email EVERY Agent - the SAME DAY of your showing - to provide feedback. Take whatever feedback you are getting and look at it constructively, without an attitude. It probably is indicating what Buyers really feel; and, could give you the signal it's time to reevaluate. It's also time to look at Comps and see where you are priced. Have you been provided with current market conditions? Have you been kept informed of what's on the market around you that you are competing against? Do you know what has sold since your listing went active? A price reduction may be in order. These are some important questions you need answered. I am a firm believer in a lifetime relationship between myself and my clients. I have succeeded ONLY because of that premise. If your
Agent is aggressively marketing your home, and your price is right, or lower than your competition, stick with him. He deserves your loyalty. However, if you feel uneasy about his skills with your home and you'd like to interview a different Agent, I'd be honored.
"Why, Exactly, Should I Use the Services of a Real Estate Agent?" To be honest, I’ve often wondered why people ask this question. After all, they don’t expect an auto technician to be a surgeon or a surgeon to be a technician! It doesn’t make any sense - each has his or her own area of expertise. I’ve finally realized that the reason people ask such a question is that they don’t really realize the extent of the services a Realtor provides them. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to acquaint you with all the added-value services I can provide you as a Realtor.
Why Use the Services of a Real Estate Agent? This question is often asked, especially by homeowners who consider selling their homes by themselves. The fundamental first answer to this question is that an experienced realtor is an expert at what he or she does. Through hard work and education, they’ve acquired a set of skills that make the process of home buying and selling a lot easier than it would be by doing it yourself. So, what are the skills in the set I’m talking about?
Well, for one thing, we have the skill of being the go-between. We’re the people who handle people and calls and separate the “wheat” (real buyers) from the “chaff” (non-buyers) without you ever having to deal with such situations. In Internet terms, we make sure you’re not “spammed” with worthless offers and target real deals for you.
We’re also the ones who save you a lot of time by making sure you’re looking at appropriate properties and neighborhoods right from the get-go. And, speaking of neighborhoods, an experienced Realtor will know them inside-out or will know how to find the latest information on them. That means he or she can get you into neighborhoods where the crime rate is low or non-existent, find you ones with great school systems, rising property values, etc. And what about the prices of homes? Well, some people believe that we select them for our clients. Not true! We have no way of setting prices. They’re set by the market! However, we can guide you toward properties that fit your individual needs and are comfortably within your price range. Frankly, it’s not in our best interests to put you into a home beyond your means or that’s not right for you. When that happens, we lose clients and money!
So, we’ll do our best to work within your price range and, based on current information (market supply, demand, etc.), we’ll come up with the best negotiation strategy possible. Current information can include cost-per-square-foot of homes, ratios of list-to-sold prices, knowledge of the buyer/seller, etc. All this information is gathered by the agent and used to formulate solid offers. Another important skill experienced Realtors possess is objectivity. We have the ability to stay out of the emotional process that often occurs with the buying and selling of a home. Instead, we present your case in the best light possible, all the while holding your information confidential from any competing interests. One Realtor skill that’s often not apparent is our ability to network with other service providers (housing inspectors, title companies, etc.) Professionally, we can’t recommend one specific vendor over another. However, we do keep lists of vendors with excellent reputations as well provide references for the vendors. This service allows you to choose the best provides for your particular situation.
Now, here’s one Realtor skill that everyone truly appreciates – the ability to handle tons of paperwork! Today, purchase agreements can run 10+ pages, and that doesn’t even include all the state and federal disclosure statements that are required in the current market! Heck, a real estate file can end up being 2-3 inches thick with paperwork these days! And it’s not only the heavy paperwork handled by Realtors; it’s also the attention to detail within that paperwork. It’s their job (or a lawyer’s, depending on the state) to make sure all the information is correct because if it isn’t, it can end up costing the client hundreds of dollars. So, as you can see, there are many reasons why it’s wise to use an experienced Realtor for the purchase or sale of a home! To find out about the services I haven’t mentioned in this article, contact me today. Ken Huebsch 717 514-1793 Ken@KensHomesales.com