This evening I was showing one of our listings and the prospective buyer after deciding they are interested in my listing, started asking me about selling their current home. They had their home on the market previously with another agent for 6 months and felt they had made a mistake. They want to interview agents this time so that they do not make the same mistake. I strongly encourage all buyers and sellers to interview agents before making a decision.
This couple said that they didn't know what to ask the agents during the interview process, so I suggested that I email them a list of questions to ask to ask prospective listing agents. I have provided this list in the past to expired listings also. It seems that there are 2 or 3 questions that sellers know to ask and that's it - how are you going to market my home, what price, and what's your commission. There are so many more questions that sellers should ask the prospective agents and here's my list:
1. How long have you been selling real estate? 
2. Do you work full-time or part time as a real estate agent?
3. Do you have support? (an assistant, team, etc.)
4. How many listings have you had in the past 6 months? How many of these listings sold?
5. How many homes have you sold in the past 12 months? (this is different because of buyer sales)
6. How will you set my listing apart from the hundreds of others on the market?
7. In what ways will you encourage other sales people to push my property?
8. Will you give me a written plan of action which spells out exactly what we agree you will do to sell my home?
9. How will I be informed of the progress in selling my home?
10. How many listings are you now carrying?
11. How many days on average are homes on the market?
12. What are the current market conditions?
13. May I have a list of your references, listings you have now and past clients? May I contact a couple of these people if I choose to?
14. In your estimation, what is my property worth?
15. What listing price do you recommend?
16. Does the listing come with an "out clause" or "satisfaction guaranteed" clause?
17. What additional services do you offer?
18. What improvements do you suggest to sell and get the most for my home?
Lori Mode and Bruce Durham, Keller Williams, Elk Grove
Lori Mode and Bruce Durham, Keller Williams Realty - Elk Grove
Connect with us online...............
Great List. I am going to work off it in my next listing presentation. Thanks for the post. I also strongly urge everyone to interview at least two agents besides myself. I almost always get the call back and when I don't that's okay. I can't be everyone's cup of tea.
Lori, those questions are right on the money. A few of them I didn't have on my list, hope you don't mind if I use them :)
Comprehensive set of questions and great advice for prospective buyers. Thanks for sharing.
With so much information at the consumers fingertip, more people are more sellers come to the table with a very long list.
Lori, this is great advice to sellers. I think it's important for sellers to be really specific with their questions about experience and productivity.
I like your post. Too bad many successful and very experienced agents could not say they personally sold many homes this year. Their days on market could look like a "Why bother trying?" list.
Linda - I recommend to sellers that they interview 3 agents total. Any more seems to confuse them and I too get usually call the call back.
Tony - of course, please feel free to use them.