Here’s a quick tip for when you are hiring a new listing agent for your home.
A listing agent is the the real estate agent who will represent you and your home when you decide to sell it. They are hired to negotiate on your behalf, as the seller, and get you the best possible offers for your home.
Let’s say you’re hiring a listing agent and you ask them for a discount on their commissions and they agree.
What does that tell me, as a Realtor? It tells me they are probably not a very good negotiator.
Just for an example, let’s say that you are selling a home for $300,000 and they agree to a 2% commission rate instead of a 3% commission rate. That means that they were willing to give up $3,000 that would go towards their taxes, their kids, their family, and their well being.
Now, let’s say you get an offer on your $300,000 home for $290,000, $10,000 less than what you were asking for. Do you think they’ll hold their ground? Or will they give up your funds as easily as they did their own?
A good listing agent often saves you far more money than they would ever cost you through thorough studying of your home and aggressive negotiating on your behalf. Don’t accept someone as Realtor who can’t even defend their own value as a negotiator!
