Listing your house? One of the most important decisions you will make is choosing the professionals who will help you sell. Not all Realtors and Home Stagers are created equal.
To choose the right professionals, you must invest some time. You’re going to have to ask a lot of questions.
Get your ASK in gear if you want to get your house sold!
When choosing a professional, it is best to interview at least three candidates. Ask a lot of questions…you are depending on them to help sell your greatest asset.
Questions to ask Realtors include:
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Are you full or part time?
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Do you work predominantly with buyers or sellers?
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How knowledgeable are you with my area?
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Do you have a website and/or blog? How often do you update your website or blog?
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How do you intend to market my property other than listing it on MLS?
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Will my property be listed on your website?
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Do you use video?
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What will the cost be? Are there any fees beyond your commission?
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Will I be working directly with you or with an assistant?
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Can you provide references?
Questions to ask a Home Stager include:
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How long have you been in business?
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Do you specialize in occupied or vacant properties?
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Are you familiar with my area and do you know the target buyer for my home?
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Do you have a portfolio of your work?
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Are the photos of your actual work, or do you use stock photos?
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Do you provide digital photos of your completed work? What is the cost?
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Are you registered with the state?
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Are you fully insured?
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What are your rates?
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Can you provide references?
NOTE: At this time there is no independent organization that certifies or licenses home stagers, and no government oversight regulating home staging business practices. If a home stager has a designation after their name, it comes from whatever training courses they have taken.
Ask questions to get answers to what is important to you. You are not looking for the “best” realtor or stager. You are looking for the best realtor or stager for you. Make your selection based on the answers given and how comfortable the people make you feel.
Most sellers who hire a professional home stager for a marketing consultation don’t have prior experience with staging. They usually expect the home stager to walk through the house and create a list of improvements to be made in order to make their house more appealing to buyers….but what sellers usually don’t expect is for the consultation to get physical.
