Step 1 to Selling a Home: Hire a REALTOR®

It isn't just homebuyers that start their search online, on sites such as Realtor.com, Zillow, or Trulia. Many homeowners start the selling process by looking at these sites for a variety of reasons, but mainly to see what similar properties have recently sold for in their neighborhood in an effort to determine the current value of their home. 

While we understand why many homeowners start there, and they aren't necessarily bad places to start, we want to make sure you know there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• These types of sites aren’t 100% accurate, as sold homes which were never listed in the MLS such as "pocket listings" or For Sale By Owner listings may be missing (and some listings that are in the MLS may not even end up on these aggregator sites). 
• The information on these types of websites is often out of date or not accurate as not every REALTOR® nor every MLS will make sure to change their listing status when a property sells. Unfortunately, most REALTORS® are not good about updating this information regularly. Therefore, a property might show that it’s still Active (meaning: available) on Zillow, even though it sold many months ago.
• When a professional REALTOR® conducts an analysis of your home's value, they will take into account those "off-market" sales through a thorough search of both of the MLSs in the Atlanta area, as well as the tax records to be sure that every appropriate comparable sale is taken into consideration, along with a detailed explanation of why some sales are included in their analysis (and why some others are not). 
• When professional appraisers conduct an appraisal they only take into account homes that have sold in a particular neighborhood within the last 90 days (they may go back further if there is a severe lack of inventory and a low number of appropriate comparable sales). It’s not possible to sort the data by date on these types of online sites so it’s difficult to only look for properties which have sold within the last 90 days.  
• Many properties don’t list the square footage or have thorough, accurate data on these sites, so it’s hard to know if you’re comparing similarly-sized homes, with similar features, etc., which makes a big difference when determining value.  

Therefore, Step 1 to selling a home should be to interview REALTORS® to represent you.

Find a REALTOR®

How do you find a good REALTOR®? Hopefully, you’ll contact us at 404-994-2181 or Maura(at)BuySellLiveAtlanta(dot)com so we can see if we would be a good fit. Remember, not all REALTORS® are right for all sellers. You need to find someone who is not only great at his or her job, but someone you like and trust, as you’re putting a big piece of your financial future in their hands. Ask friends and family for referrals to a REALTOR® that they have used and have a personal connection with. Contact those REALTORS® and set up initial phone screenings with them. Notice how quickly each REALTOR® responds to your initial phone call or email. The REALTOR® should get back to you within 24 hours; if not, that’s a bad sign. This business moves quickly and deals can be lost if your REALTOR® doesn’t respond quickly on your behalf to showing requests, offers, during negotiations, etc.

And remember: not all REALTORS® are created equally, and not all real estate agents are REALTORS®. Click here to learn the difference and what sets REALTORS® apart.

Initial Phone Screening

We like to conduct an initial phone call with you to answer any initial questions you might have and to determine if we're a good fit with each other to move on to an in-person appointment. We don't want to waste your valuable time, so if we feel for some reason that we may not be the right choice to be your REALTOR® (for example, if we don't know your area well or it's outside of our market), we can help put you in touch with a trusted colleague who may be a better fit.

We also utilize a detailed Seller Questionnaire to gather the information that we need in order to best serve you in this initial part of the process. Click here to access and fill out our Seller Questionnaire.

While it may seem strange to provide information in this much detail to a REALTOR® before you've even met them in person, beware of the ones who don't ask you for this type of information. The best REALTORS® know that we can only serve you when we have a well-rounded knowledge of our client's circumstances -- when there are pieces missing from the puzzle, we may not be able to give that seller the most appropriate advice regarding their home sale.

In-Person Consultation

After the initial phone call or video conference with the REALTOR®, if you feel good moving forward, schedule a time for them to meet you at your home. The REALTOR® want to see your home in person, tour the home with you, ask you more questions, and take detailed notes about the property. At this point, the REALTOR® may bring a market analysis (this may be called a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA) with them, to show that they've begun their research into your home's value, but beware of anyone who comes with a price in mind for your home without seeing the property in person. While it is possible for the REALTOR® to run a CMA and have a general idea of the value of your home, based on past sales in the neighborhood or complex, if that person has never seen your home before, how can they know things such as the condition, the upgrades, the features, the work you've put into it during your ownership, if they have not walked through it and experienced it. Beware of the REALTOR® who comes to your home, for the very first time, and tells you a firm opinion of your home's value, without a very clear and concise explanation of how and why they have arrived at that value.

Our process is this: at the in-person appointment, we like to view your home, from top to bottom, take copious notes (and in some cases, take some photos so that we can recall details later on), ask you a lot of questions, and of course, discuss our marketing plan and what sets us apart from every other REALTOR® that you may be speaking to. Plan on this meeting with us taking about 90 minutes -- we have a lot to discuss with you and we're sure you have a lot of questions, especially if you've never sold a home before or if it's been awhile since you last sold a home.

Finally, you'll want to make sure that you ask the REALTOR® very specific questions. We like it when our potential clients ask us about our business and our experience — we’re proud of the work that we do, we’re passionate about it, and we’re thrilled to have the chance to demonstrate that passion to new clients. 

• Click here to read our recommended interview questions
• Then click here to read our responses to those interview questions

Review the CMA

Whether the REALTOR® brings a CMA to your initial in-person appointment or asks to get back to you the next day, once they take their notes home and resume their research, you'll need to find time to go over the CMA (click here for tips on reading a CMA). Ask the REALTOR® not only what they think your home is worth, but what the average days on market (i.e. the number of days from when your home goes on the market until you have an accepted contract) is in your area. Ask them what they charge, how much the closing costs and fees for you, as the seller, will be, and what approximately you’ll net if you sell your homer for X price. Most importantly, be honest with each REALTOR® about your circumstances. If you need to sell your home for a certain amount of money or in a certain time frame, tell them.  Only when REALTORS® have a complete picture can they came up with the best strategy to fit your situation. Lastly, trust your gut.

Sign the paperwork

Once you’ve picked a REALTOR®, expect to sign a listing agreement (click here for an example of a listing agreement) authorizing that REALTOR® to represent you and to advise you as a client. That starts the ball rolling to get your home on the market.

If you have any questions, contact us at Maura(at)BuySellLiveAtlanta(dot)com or 404.994.2181.