10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Realtor in Murrells Inlet

Interviewing agents is uncomfortable because everyone is pleasant and everyone sounds confident. These questions cut through that.

The ten questions

1. How many homes have you sold in my neighborhood in the last 12 months? Town-wide numbers don't count.
2. Show me the comparable sales behind your price. A number without evidence is a guess.
3. What did those homes sell for as a percentage of list price? [verify their figures]
4. Who attends my showings — you or someone else?
5. What exactly is included in marketing, in writing? Photography, video, drone, floor plan, syndication, social.
6. What happens in the first ten days? A good agent has a plan, not a hope.
7. What would you change about my house before we list? If the answer is "nothing", keep interviewing.
8. How and when will you communicate feedback?
9. How is your compensation structured? It is negotiable and it should be discussed openly, in writing.
10. What is your plan if we don't have an offer in 30 days?

What good answers sound like

"Three homes in your village since May. Two sold within a fortnight at asking, one took nine weeks because it launched over-priced and we corrected. Here are the three sheets."

Specific. Verifiable. Slightly unflattering in places. That is what honest looks like.

My own answers

I sell on the Waccamaw Neck only, I attend my own showings, and everything I plan to do for your listing is written down before you sign anything. If my answer to question seven costs me the listing occasionally, so be it.

Interviewing agents now? I'm happy to be one of the two or three.