10 Simple Questions HEN IT COMES TO CHOOSING THE PERFECT AGENT TO SELL YOUR HOME, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS!

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1 10 Simple uestions W HEN IT COMES TO CHOOSING THE PERFECT AGENT TO SELL YOUR HOME, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ASK THE RIGHT UESTIONS! SELLING CAN BE REALLY STRESSFUL, THAT S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE THE AGENT WHO WILL WORK IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, AND NOT THE BUYER. Licensed Agent - Kathleen Luck INSIDE THIS BROCHURE Are you buying as well? Make sure you flip this book over read The Easy Guide to Buying a Home Keep an eye out for Kathleen s Industry Tips

2 Harcourts Inner West agent, Kathleen Luck, is writing new and exciting rules to real estate success. As a fully licensed agent, with four years experience, Kathleen s versatility, dynamic personality and ability to mould herself and methods to accommodate industry changes, ensures her marketing approaches create optimal results. Registered as a Justice of the Peace, Management Representative for The Chamber of Commerce, Member of Meals on Wheels as well as participant of Neighborhood Watch, Kathleen truly understands and is in touch with her community and its people. With qualifications in Integrated Marketing and Communications, combined with extensive experience within the Harcourts group, it s not hard to see why Kathleen has a natural foundation for excelling in the Real Estate Industry. UESTION 1. CAN YOU PROVIDE ME WITH RECENT REFERALLS? There is no better advertising than word of mouth, and no better way to find out the truth as to how your agent will treat you once they have your signature. If an agent will allow you to have access to the names & numbers of their past clients & those people have had good experiences, fantastic! You are half way to having a happy sale! UESTION 2. HOW MANY PROPERTIES HAVE YOU SOLD, AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SELLING? Good agents sell more properties & have good experience in negotiation. This will give you a good indication as to how successful the agent is at actually selling a house, and more importantly, for how much. You should also ask how involved they are in the local area, as this can determine their knowledge & expertise.

3 UESTION 3. HOW MANY BUYERS ARE YOU WORKING WITH, AND WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR? If the agent has a lot of buyers, then it is generally because they are selling lots of properties. It is also important that the agent knows exactly who their target market is, and that their office has good systems & resources in place to track them. A good follow up question is to ask how they contact their buyers to notify them of a new listing. If there is no system in place, you need to question the agents ability to find someone to buy your home. UESTION 4. WHAT EXAMPLE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS DO YOU HAVE? This is a must to see. Make sure you like what they do with their advertising and the places they advertise. Do they have the resources to offer the option of on-line advertising & in the local papers? Research shows that buyers will qualify a home in the paper and on-line, so it is important your agent has these options on hand for you.

4 UESTION 5. HOW OFTEN WILL I GET FEEDBACK? Kathleen s Industry Tip: An agent will give you the same first impression as they will on a potential buyer - how do you want your home represented, and what 1st impression will the agent make? It is important your agent has a system in place to ensure that you know what is going on every step of the way during the sales process. Ensure your agent will contact you immediately after each inspection & update you regularly to discuss the success, feedback & comments so the campaign is on track. In a survey of home sellers, lack of feedback consistently comes up as the No.1 complaint against their agent. If an agent can t communicate effectively with you, can you be sure they are communicating with prospective buyers? UESTION 6. HOW MANY SALES PEOPLE ARE IN YOUR TEAM? Does the agent have suitable backup & support? Who do I contact if you are not available? You are really trying to establish whether the agent is someone with whom you want to deal with. A small team with the personal touch or a large team with a number of sales people available to show your home. What would you prefer?

5 UESTION 7. WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING PROGRAMS DO YOU & YOUR TEAM ATTEND? To be a top performer in any industry you need to undergo regular training to enhance your skills. Ask them what courses they have attended recently. Ask them what they learnt on that course. A major problem within the industry is that it attracts agents who are great at the talk, but can t really walk the walk with it comes to negotiations with buyers and accurate marketing analysis. Kathleen s Tip: Every agent will have a preference in campaign to sell your home; Auction, Priced or No Price. Remember, they all work & you need to be comfortable & confident in the process. UESTION 8. WHAT CHARGES WILL I INCUR IF THE HOUSE DOESN T SELL? Most agents work on a commission only basis meaning that if your house doesn t sell, you don t pay them a cent. This reduces the risk to you and can make the agent work harder to sell your property. On the flip side, marketing & promotion is an important element in the sales process. Usually a seller will need to choose a campaign they prefer, and there may be costs associated with this. These costs are generally required to be paid regardless of whether your house sells.

6 Most importantly we approached these meetings (with agents) in the guise of a buyer to decide " who would we trust to guide us to a buying decision " as first impressions & empathy are so important in the decision process. UESTION 9. WHAT DUTIES WILL YOU UNDERTAKE TO SELL MY HOME? You need to find out upfront what activities the agent will conduct in order to sell your home. Look at the areas of inspections & open homes, their inhouse campaigns/ advertising, office incentives & conjunction with other agencies, letter drops and their presence in the buyers market is important. Ask them how these work and what results these have achieved for them. Your presentation was professional but still personal & we felt very comfortable with you. Every step of the selling process was explained and you lived up to every expectation by reporting and keeping us informed on a weekly basis of all activity. UESTION 10. WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER AGENTS? The best agent will know straight away what their best selling feature is. You will need to evaluate if this suits what you re looking for in order to get the best possible price, and to ensure they will always work in your best interest.