You are ready to buy a new home, and that could mean downsizing or moving into a bigger home. We have over 300 real estate agents in Sarnia-Lambton. With such a big selection of realtors, how are you going to select the most qualified agent to sell your home? Here are 7 questions your need to ask your listing agent.

Question #1: How much experience do you have?

Ask them to tell you how many years they've been active, and estimate or provide the average number of sales they make in a normal year. The longer they 

Question #2: Are you a full-time realtor?

You want to work with an agent who is dedicated and has the time to devote to marketing your home and dealing with any issues that may come up. Hobbyist or part-time realtors might be okay, but home buying and selling is such a big purchase, it makes sense to have a realtor give you their full attention and effort.

Question #3: How do you market homes, and can you provide examples?

Old school real estate marketing was like a fishing rod. Yes, it could get the job done eventually, but it simply wasn't the best to find the most buyers.

Modern marketing is much more like using a big net on a fishing boat, as opposed to the fishing rod on shore. Print marketing, radio, and social media sites allow us to reach anywhere from tens of thousands, to over a hundred thousand people with your home listing.

Get them to show you plenty of proof and examples of their work, and make sure they have an advertising budget, and get them to give you an estimate of their ad reach.

Question #4: Are you a strong negotiator?

Some agents will be able to get you top dollar for your home, while others will let the buyer low ball you and take advantage of you. If they're worth their salt, your agent should be able to counter any offer that comes in too low and aim to get a higher, but fair price for you home.

Question #5: How will we communicate, and how often? 

You should be able to get in touch with your agent when you need to, and they should keep you updated on a regular basis.There's nothing worse than an agent who falls off the face of the earth after you sign a contract with them.

Question #6: Can you provide me with references or testimonials?

You want to be able to hear from other people who have worked with this agent and see if they would recommend them. You could ask them for references from the last few sellers they worked with them, or check out their reviews and testimonials. Facebook and Google My Business are two great places to check out reviews.

Question #7: What kind of results have you achieved from other sales?

An experienced agent will have a long list of happy clients and successful sales. They should be able to provide you with data on the homes they've sold, how quickly they sold, and for how much. This information will give you an idea of what to expect when working with this agent.

Choosing the right agent can ease the stress of selling. When you call any agent at Blue Coast Realty, we have solid answers for each of these questions and many more. If you're looking to sell, give us a call today: (226) 778-0747.