Working With Your Realtor®, Part 2

Here are some more tips on working with your Realtor®:

Be Accessible.
Speed is often important. Make sure your agent understands that you want to be contacted at once if a showing is requested. Be sure that the home is already ready to be shown to accommodate last-minute requests for a showing. Provide phone numbers (home, office, cell) where you can be reached at during various times of the day.

If an offer comes in, your Realtor will need to respond to the buyer quickly. Be sure that you’re accessible even if you’re out of town, on vacation, or on a business trip.

Assert Yourself.
Agents are salespeople - they typically have strong and outgoing personalities. Don't forget, however, that it is your home sale. Insist on personally reviewing all offers and on making your own decisions about which offers to consider. However, you also need to…

Listen to suggestions.
As you prepare your home for sale, don't rely solely on your own judgment. It's hard to be objective when you're the owner. Your Realtor will have helpful, professional tips on how to make your home more marketable.

Stay unemotional during negotiations.
Selling your home can be emotionally charged, but don't let that stand in the way of making a deal. Have a business-like attitude during the process and remember that the buyer is not your enemy. (Very often, the buyer of your home is someone like yourself who’d you’d be very happy to have as a neighbor.) Seemingly confrontational negotiations are part of the process and are never intended for you to take personally.

Getting the most money, for the least hassle, is the name of the game. By forging the best possible relationship with your Realtor, you’re well on your way to success.