How many Boise real estate agents did you interview?
Have you bought or sold real estate in Boise recently? I’m curious as to how many real estate agents you interviewed before deciding to go with a particular one? The reason why I ask is that I just heard an alarming statistic. 70% of buyers surveyed by the National Association of Realtors said that they did not interview more than 1 Realtor. That’s right, 70% of people out there making one of the most important buying decisions that life has to offer chose not to interview multiple real estate agents.
Let that soak in for a few minutes. Most of us shop 3 or more car dealerships before deciding which one to buy from. I would venture to say that most of you also go to multiple furniture and appliance stores before deciding which one to purchase from. You often already know what brand of appliance or type of furniture you want to buy, you just havent decided on who to buy it from. A couch may cost $500 while a home in Boise can be up to $500,000. So why aren’t you shopping around to make sure you are working with the right real estate professional?
It’s one thing to get a referral for a real estate agent from a trusted friend and decide to go with it. But considering that over 80% of Realtors don’t follow-up with their clients beyond the transaction, it’s not likely that you are getting a referral. Even if you do get referred to another real estate agent, I still recommend that you interview at least one other Boise agent. The reasons are simple…You want to make sure that there are no personality conflicts and you will also want to make sure that your schedules are compatible with one another.
When you interview your Realtor, be sure to ask the following questions to make sure that your making the right decision:
Buyer’s Agent Questions:
- When are you available to show me homes? Some Boise agents have other full-time jobs which can make arranging a time to look at homes rather difficult.
- How familiar are you with selling a bank owned, HUD Home and short sale in the Boise area? Real estate, like many things in life, is an ever-moving target. If your real estate agent hasn’t sold a bank owned, REO, HUD home or short sale for some time, you might be in for a bumpy road lacking proper expectations and full of extended dead lines.
- How quickly will you be available to show me homes? Most aggressively priced bank owned homes and REO’s have multiple offers in the first 3 days of the property being listed. If you are not able to view the properties within that time frame, you might miss out on the Boise home of your dreams! While no real estate agent is available all day every day, its important to ask what kind of systems they have in place to get you into the home when they are not available.
Listing Agent Questions:
- How often will you be able to show my home? A sign in your front yard can yield many phone calls and leads for a real estate agent. The majority of those leads will want to take a look at your home which is why they called from the sign in the first place. Unfortunately, in the fast paced society we live in, people want to see the home when they call. Ask your future realtor how they would handle a situation like that.
- How do you get paid and what does your fee get me? Over time, different realtors and real estate agents develop different techniques and ways to market your home. Ask them what they will do to market your home. Will they have a broker’s open house, providing an avenue for dozens of realtors and real estate agents to walk through your home?
- Before they even come out to your home, ask them to perform a market analysis on it to make sure that you and the realtor are on the same planet regarding pricing. The last thing you want to do is waste your time interviewing 2-5 Realtors just to find out that they all think your home is worth significantly less than you do. While they may be right about the pricing, a CMA, or Comparative Market Analysis on your home can save both you and your real estate agent a lot of time and save you from having that awkward moment where you want to strangle them for telling you what they think your home is worth.
I hope this helps you to find the perfect Boise Realtor!
Chase Craig
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