Realtor Questions When Selling Your Home

SirMarco

of Pingree Grove
May 11, 2009
12,770
3,269
Pingree Grove
I have some questions to those who have sold your homes.
What did your listing agent do for you to help promote and sell your home?
Did they hold a realtor tour of your house? If so did they set it up or did you have to request it?
Did you have to request feedback after any showing or was this information given to you?
Did they do any advertising for you? If so what did they do?
Did they hold open houses and advertise it?
Did they bring in their own photographer, take their own photos or have you submit photos for the MLS listing?
Or did they just list the house and let the home selling sites grab the listing from the MLS website?
 

Chester Copperpot

Unvaxxed Untermensch
TCG Premium
May 7, 2010
39,409
40,177
Blanco el Norte
I have some questions to those who have sold your homes.

What did your listing agent do for you to help promote and sell your home?

We started off just updating the listing and having it for sale on Redfin, that alone generated a few hundred views.

Did they hold a realtor tour of your house? If so did they set it up or did you have to request it?

Did you have to request feedback after any showing or was this information given to you?

My selling agent came by and toured the house, and gave me feedback on things that would help to avoid people asking silly questions and seeing small things.

Did they do any advertising for you? If so what did they do?

Did they hold open houses and advertise it?

Had Redfin not generated a ton of traffic, he was going to schedule open houses. Didn't get to that point though.

Did they bring in their own photographer, take their own photos or have you submit photos for the MLS listing?

He took a bunch of his own photos with just his phone and they looked pretty good as is.

Or did they just list the house and let the home selling sites grab the listing from the MLS website?

Yes.

And KJ nailed it on the head.
 

10sec

I haz dat teddy bear smile.
TCG Premium
Jul 26, 2008
25,942
5,812
Yeah, they're supposed to do that stuff. All you're supposed to do is get out of there and keep it clean for showings and/or approve of price changes. They're supposed to take the pictures, run the ad, and if they're really good they bring things over to help show the house. My realtor brought me a bunch of stuff and even paintings to hang on the wall to make the place look a little more inviting. She was awesome, she also helped me find a rental AND went out of her way to let me have a pet even though the ad said no pets. That's what a good realtor does.
 

cap42

Restoration Hell
Mar 22, 2005
2,763
2,429
Bolingbrook IL
I have some questions to those who have sold your homes.

What did your listing agent do for you to help promote and sell your home?

Did they hold a realtor tour of your house? If so did they set it up or did you have to request it?

Did you have to request feedback after any showing or was this information given to you?

Did they do any advertising for you? If so what did they do?

Did they hold open houses and advertise it?

Did they bring in their own photographer, take their own photos or have you submit photos for the MLS listing?

Or did they just list the house and let the home selling sites grab the listing from the MLS website?



I used a good friend Shane Halleman who should be a member here as my realtor for selling my townhome and buying my current home. (Don’t think he is active anymore). There’s also a few others here who have used him [MENTION=5498]PJx5x[/MENTION]

Shane did all the marketing, took all the photos and performed open houses. He was also very up front of what I needed to do to maximize my return and get the quickest sale possible. I know he’s a good friend but he has the same attitude and drive no matter who he was working with. Several family and friends have used him and all have provided the same feedback.

Regardless of your realtor they should be doing those same things, some will be better and do more while others may do the absolute minimum.
 

Grabber

Oh Hai
Dec 11, 2007
4,363
860
Wheeling, IL
I dread the day we list our house and have to have it shown. I get so freaked out with people that roam the house. We've been at open houses with people still living there. These people will actually look inside closets, open the appliances, check dresser/nightstand drawers, etc. Kinda gets personal if you ask me.

I'd lose my shit especially if we are not in the house for the showing.

OP - Agent should be doing just about all of the things you listed. Hence why they get paid and make commission on the sale of the house.

The agent that sold the house from our homes previous owner didn't do a thing. The owner told us everything, showed us around the house, gave us numbers, kept in touch, etc. The only thing the agent did was take POA and show up at the closing on behalf of the owner and probably made several thousand dollars in doing so.
 

10sec

I haz dat teddy bear smile.
TCG Premium
Jul 26, 2008
25,942
5,812
100% true. BUT, in reality, what do they do that a normal non-lazy person could just do themselves? I think realtors made more sense 10yrs and beyond ago, when people physically had to go see houses, where as now you can narrow down to a few that you eventually go look at in person. Eh?
 

pulseczar

Custom User Title
Sep 2, 2015
103
0
Channahon
I have some questions to those who have sold your homes.
What did your listing agent do for you to help promote and sell your home?
Did they hold a realtor tour of your house? If so did they set it up or did you have to request it?
Did you have to request feedback after any showing or was this information given to you?
Did they do any advertising for you? If so what did they do?
Did they hold open houses and advertise it?
Did they bring in their own photographer, take their own photos or have you submit photos for the MLS listing?
Or did they just list the house and let the home selling sites grab the listing from the MLS website?


We just moved in May. Listed our home Sept 2016, sold in April 2017. Realtor was from Baird & Warner, recommended by a friend of my wife. This was our first home selling experience and we had no idea what to expect or what to do.

Listed it on MLS, had a couple open houses, no idea what else
Never heard of a realtor tour
Automatically received feedback via email if any was given. I'd say maybe 1/3 of showings generated feedback. Seems feedback was only left if negative or vague. Nobody likes the price, everyone wants a steal. Assumed all other showings the people were impartial.
Advertised on her FB realtor page, don't know what else
Had two open houses
Used professional photog, pics came out pretty flattering in listings. Put a lot of effort into staging and lighting.
Used her network of lenders, lawyers, inspectors, realtors, etc to help us along.

There was a showing confirmation app that we had where we could approve or deny showings via sms/text msg. That helped make things easier with freshening up the house before a showing, having the dog/kids out, etc
 

CuzzinOlaf

TCG Elite Member
May 16, 2014
1,766
99
Spring Grove
Houses are selling now. I put mine on the market last month and it sold to the first people to see it. The house I'm buying was on the market for a while and they kept dropping the price. If it is listed too high it won't get a lot of interest.

I sold my first house here in IL using FSBO and it works. Like someone said, you just need to get it listed in the MLS. I was able to pay a service to get it listed and then it was a waiting game.

Slight price reductions to keep it current in the MLS, good pictures (my agent hires a photographer), a good description, and open houses do help.
 

Flyn

Go ahead. I'll catch up.
Moderator
TCG Premium
Mar 1, 2004
68,052
27,984
Selling homes on the Gulf Coast of Florida
184 things Realtors do for you in the link. Also, one point to remember is Realtors are bound by an additional code of ethics that real estate agents are not obligated to follow. Realtors also have the MLS which, as you guys know, is the 2nd most important thing as far as selling your home.

Can you sell a home yourself? Sure. Many people do. However, most FSBOs end up either taking the home off the market or signing with a Realtor. Last data I saw says around 70% of FSBOs don't sell the home themselves. If you research and stay on top of everything so you don't make costly mistakes, you can be in the 30% of FSBOs who do save some money by selling the home themselves. Just be prepared. Know the process. Figure you're going to be bugged by potential buyers (how do you know they are qualified buyers? Pre-approval or Proof of funds. Don't show someone your home without them already having one or both), study the contracts your State uses. Use a lawyer if you don't understand them. It's a good idea to have a professional like a lawyer review any documents that commit you to big obligations like selling a home. Don't forget about advertising costs. The MLS is just one method. KEEP BUYERS TOGETHER WHILE SHOWING THE HOME! Thieves intentionally split up so you can't watch them. Put your valuables somewhere safe... or just hire a Realtor and let them do the work. :smile:

If you have any specific questions, send me a PM.

http://images.kw.com/docs/0/2/0/020541/1183845250371_184_things_a_REALTOR.htm
 

b00sted

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 6, 2010
7,834
23,517
I have some questions to those who have sold your homes.
What did your listing agent do for you to help promote and sell your home? The average Realtor sticks it on the MLS and crosses their fingers.

Did they hold a realtor tour of your house? If so did they set it up or did you have to request it? Like a Broker open house? Those sometimes work if you're selling a high end(1 mil+) home and know other agents that have clients in that price range.

Did you have to request feedback after any showing or was this information given to you? The showing service most commonly used will e-mail the buyer's agent with a feedback request automatically...But they're not obligated to fill it out.

Did they do any advertising for you? If so what did they do? Most don't. Realtors are terrible at advertising and are afraid to spend money to try things out.

Did they hold open houses and advertise it? Open houses are great for nosey neighbors and for your agent to find new buyer clients(who aren't going to buy your house 9 times out of 10). It's a well known trick for new agents just starting out...Host an open house at a fellow agent's listing, and get leads from the people that show up and fill out their info.

Did they bring in their own photographer, take their own photos or have you submit photos for the MLS listing? On average, they take their own horrendous photos. I've seen quite a few realtors switching to professional photographers, which is well worth the few hundred bucks. Most people browsing homes online have the attention span of a goldfish, so you need great pictures that stand out.

Or did they just list the house and let the home selling sites grab the listing from the MLS website? This is all the average Realtor does...Even though they try to sell it to you as some great service. "It'll be listed on HUNDREDS of websites!!1" Yeah, as will every single other house in the MLS. Thanks, Deborah.

Answers in red. I'm a licensed Realtor...As you can likely tell, I'm not a big fan of 90% of the agents out there. Way too many overconfident, inexperienced agents guiding people through massive financial decisions.
 

Flyn

Go ahead. I'll catch up.
Moderator
TCG Premium
Mar 1, 2004
68,052
27,984
Selling homes on the Gulf Coast of Florida
Ha Ha! I gotta agree with a lot of this ^^.

I was, once again, showing homes up on Longboat Key this weekend. 6 homes to show in the same complex and one off by itself. The six home complex has a gate where you need to buzz in after calling an owner or the office. Two of the six Realtors told me the office would be open on the weekend. I told them I doubt it and they swore it would be. Guess what? Office is closed on the weekend.

I figured it would be and had four other owner numbers from the homes. Took all four of them to get in contact with someone who could push a button and raise the gate.

Plan C was to have the customers park outside the community and walk with me but that would have sucked.

Moral of the story is some Realtors can't be trusted, some can. I'd make sure anyone showing one of my listings would be able to get in. It's just common sense. You learn a lot of cynicism in this business.
 

OffshoreDrilling

This is my safe space
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HVAC Guy
Aug 28, 2007
39,147
50,295
Homer Glen
Answers in red. I'm a licensed Realtor...As you can likely tell, I'm not a big fan of 90% of the agents out there. Way too many overconfident, inexperienced agents guiding people through massive financial decisions.

Amen. It’s the #1 profession of bored housewives who aren’t making candles and soap or hocking some MLM garbage. also #1 profession of people who figured out they can’t be a bartender/server until retirement.

Not saying these people can’t be good at their jobs, it’s just such a low bar of entry to the career that it attracts a lot of people who hadn’t previously found motivation to do anything.
 
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