21 Questions to Ask a Realtor® Before
You List with Them
In printable PDF form - Click Here
1. How do you approach your work?
With a passion! I love helping people with their biggest investment. I
am a full
time Broker Associate dedicated to the challenge of finding home buyers
the right
home and marketing seller’s homes as quickly as possible.
2. How many homes have you listed and sold in the past year?
During 2005 I averaged selling a little over one home a month. I also
averaged
listing about one a month. This can vary depending on Real Estate
conditions,
timing and season. Sometimes I have more buyers and sometimes I have
more
sellers.
3. How long have you been in the business?
A very enjoyable and educational 4 years.
4. What professional organizations do you belong to?
National Association of Realtors
Indiana Association of Realtors
Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors (MIBOR)
Pike Township Residents Association
Community Association Institute – Central Indiana Chapter
5. Do you have a personal assistant or other support staff working
for you?
I do not have a personal assistant. I handle all my business personally.
My
company has a support staff of 13 people to help agents in their daily
activities.
My company schedules all showings internally, maintains all accounting,
has a
fulltime on site IT manager, a fulltime graphic designer, office
managers that
handle day to day tasks and plenty of principle and managing Brokers to
handle
tough questions and train us at weekly sales meetings.
6. What marketing approach will you use for my home?
I find that every home needs to be marketed differently. After meeting
with you
and seeing the home I will develop a marketing strategy. My basic
approach with
every home is my 21 point marketing program that includes a website for
the
home, flyers, mailings and open houses.
7. Is there anything different/unique about your marketing?
Yes. Every home I list has its own website. I find this to be a
tremendous
advantage. The sellers can now tell their friends about the website by
word of
mouth. I can also tell potential buyers on the phone about the website
and they
will have instant access to all marketing materials. A rider sign on the
For Sale
sign gives the website address for maximum exposure to all drive-by
traffic.
Buyers can view the details of the home anytime day or night. It will
have an easy
to remember website name (YourStreetAddress.com). The website will have
lots
of details, photos, links to local schools, neighborhood information and
a
printable brochure. I am also a very good photographer. Any photos I
take of
your house will be above average in quality and creativity.
8. How often will you hold open houses? Will you do a broker’s open
house?
How do you feel open houses will work best for my home?
Each home is different. I have had listings where I have not had open
houses
and I have had listings where I held an open house every other week.
There are
many factors that determine whether you will have successful open
houses.
Location, time of year, price of home, how many appointment showings you
get
are just a few determining factors. I usually like to do an open house
right after
the home gets listed. This gets the neighbors in so that I can talk to
them and lets
them see the house right away. Neighbors are generally good leads for
buyers.
They may have family or friends looking in the area. If I feel that it
will help
marketing efforts I will do a brokers open after the house has been on
the market
at least a month.
9. Can you help me “stage” my home?
Yes. In today’s competitive market a house must be in tip top order. I
can give
you lots of ideas that will help you sell your house faster. If there
were two
identical homes in the neighborhood for sale at the same price and one
was
staged and the other was not, which one do you think will sell first?
10. What will you do to keep me informed?
Most of my clients are satisfied with weekly updates. If you want to be
updated
more or less, it is not a problem. I can communicate with you by phone,
email or
in person. It is your choice.
11. What listing price do you recommend for my home and what is that
price based on?
Pricing your home is the most critical step to selling it. A price to
high could
prohibit it from being sold. A price to low may sell it too quickly and
lose potential
profits. What I look for is “market value”. What a reasonable buyer
would pay for
the home in a reasonable amount of time (90 days is a good number to
use).
This is done by compiling a Comparable Market Analysis (CMA). A CMA
compares your house to houses like yours that have sold in the
neighborhood to
establish what buyers are willing to pay. You have to factor in things
like
upgrades, updates, condition of house, the market, square footage, etc.
This is
easier to do if you live in a big neighborhood with lots of houses sold.
In smaller
neighborhoods where houses rarely turnover it can be difficult. In that
case I
would look at like houses in close by neighborhoods and see what they
are
selling for. In the end I usually come up with a price range. It is up
to the seller
to decide what the list price should be.
12. Can you provide me with further resources that I may need?
Yes. Contractors, carpet cleaners, electricians, handymen, mortgage
companies,
title companies, inspection companies, home warranty companies etc.
There are
many companies that I have used in the past, have been satisfied with
and would
use again. This is no way an endorsement or guarantee of there work.
13. Can you give me some references from other clients you have
worked
with?
Most definitely. I ask for testimonials from all my clients and they
willingly give
them to me. Here are just a few;
Because of health problems, we had to
move from our two story condo to a
one story condo. With
the help of Tim Lord, we were extremely lucky in
quickly finding the perfect new home that came with the handicapped
features that we needed; It was,
however, Tim Lord’s superior professionalism
and compassion during the negotiation and inspection process that made
our purchase so special. His
attention to details and follow up are over the top.
We were fortunate to have an offer on our two story condo just
two weeks after
Tim had completed our own personal website for our listing.
Again, our realtor,
Tim Lord, stepped up to the plate with skill, knowledge and professional
experience to complete our second transaction without a hitch. We
consider
ourselves lucky to be able to call ourselves clients of Tim Lord.
We would not
hesitate to recommend him to anyone who wanted the “best” realtor
available.
Sheila and Gary Seleman
Tim Lord is courteous and prompt in his
service. His response to our questions
as first time home buyers was complete and timely in every instance. He
is a
great resource for both the first time buyer and the seasoned home
owner. We
would gladly recommend him to anyone seeking to buy or sell a home.
Param and Eliza Sher
I just wanted to relay my appreciation to Tim Lord for selling both of
my
properties in such a short period of time. It was a real pleasure
working with Tim.
He kept on top of the entire process which made the selling process go
smoothly.
Be assured that if anyone mentions needing a hard working and
conscientious
agent, Tim's name will be on the top of my list for them.
Thanks for all the hard work Tim.
Gary Huffer
Tim, your work is well worth every penny!
Mesha Cabbell
Selling our first home was not what we had anticipated. However, from
listing to
closing we were very pleased with Tim’s professionalism and knowledge
of our
area. Tim answered our numerous questions quickly and never failed to
provide
us with comments made by perspective buyers.
Tim is truly a Realtor who is dedicated to his clients.
Greg and Dawn Semmler
14. What does the listing agreement entail?
It is a legally binding document that I will go over with you in detail.
In includes
but is not limited to a legal description of the property, a beginning
and expiration
date of the agreement, list price, terms of possession for the buyer,
terms of the
sale, personal property included in the sale, terms of the exclusive
listing
agreement, commission seller will pay, earnest money, MLS info,
information
regarding property, environmental contaminants advisory/release, agency
disclosures, seller authorization and cooperation, lockbox/key
authorization/use,
fair housing, additional provisions and further conditions and lastly
the sellers
signature. It is a four page document that usually takes about an hour
to fill out
and go over.
15. Are there any costs to me when listing my house?
No. In my company there are no charges to the seller until the house is
sold.
Then the seller pays the agreed upon commission. All marketing costs are
paid
by me. I average about $600 a transaction in marketing costs. This does
not
count my time and car expenses. It is in my best interests to sell your
house. If I
don’t then I am out all the marketing expenses.
16. What disclosure laws apply to me and what do I need to provide?
In the state of Indiana the seller has to fill out a Seller’s
Residential Real Estate
Sales Disclosure. This disclosure covers appliances, electrical system,
water &
sewer system, heating & cooling system, roof, hazardous conditions
and other
disclosures. The seller in most sections has the option of checking not
included,
defective, not defective and do not know. The seller then signs the
form. The
buyer has to also sign a copy of this form if they want to purchase the
house.
Usually at closing the seller signs it again certifying that the
condition of the
property is substantially the same as it was when the Seller’s
Disclosure form
was originally provided to the Buyer. There are special exceptions when
this form
is not required in the transaction.
If the house was built before 1978 the Federal Government requires a
Lead-
Based Paint Certification and Acknowledgment form to be filled out. It
includes
sections on lead warning statement, seller’s disclosure, buyer’s
acknowledgment,
broker’s acknowledgment and certification of accuracy. The buyer,
buyer’s agent,
seller and seller’s agent all have to sign this form.
17. What other fees or charges do I need to be aware of?
When I list your house I provide you with a Seller’s Estimated Net
Proceeds
sheet. This breaks down all the charges that you will be responsible for
at
closing. Typically the seller is responsible for paying off their
mortgage(s),
commissions, title insurance, deed and affidavit costs, pro rated
property taxes,
document preparation fees, messenger fee and recording fee. There can be
other fees and costs associated with the transaction depending on the
buyers
purchase agreement. Whenever there is a new offer on your house, I will
write up
a new Estimated Net Proceeds sheet and explain all costs charged to you.
18. What is a home warranty plan and should I consider purchasing one
to
facilitate my sale?
Usually home warranties cover periods of one year. They generally
(depending
on the home warranty company) cover repairs on air conditioning,
heating, water
heater, electrical system, plumbing, dishwasher, garbage disposal,
built-In
microwave, trash compactor, ductwork, range, oven, cook top, door bells,
garage
door system, ceiling fans, central vacuum, burglar & fire alarm
systems,
refrigerator, exhaust fans, whirl pool bath, sump pump, roof leak
repair, well
pump, septic, washer and dryer. In my opinion home warranties are a good
idea.
Buyers don’t want the hassles of having to pay for costly repairs the
first year.
Home warranties cost about $350-$400 and there usually is a $50-$75
deductible fee for each repair. This is a plus for the buyer and can
make the
home sell faster.
19. How will you determine the qualification of potential buyers?
If I represent the seller, I would ask that the seller not accept a
purchase
agreement without a pre-qualification mortgage letter from the buyer. If
I get a
call from a buyer that wants to see my listing, I usually ask a series
of questions
that tell me if the buyer can afford the house before showing it. Most
agents that
show my listings don’t want to waste time and will not show a house if
their buyer
can’t afford it.
20. What happens if my home doesn’t sell in the allotted time or if
I decide
not to sell my home?
If the listing agreement expires, the seller is can extend it, sign a
new agreement
or do nothing. At expiration the seller is usually free to do what they
want.
(Depending on how the original listing agreement was written, there may
be
contingencies for the seller.) At that point I absorb all marketing
costs and there
are no costs to the seller.
If you change your mind about selling the house, I would have all
parties sign a
mutual release and the purchase agreement cannot be enforced. There
would be
no costs to the seller.
21. What is the best way for me to get in touch with you?
My cell phone is my business phone. All my clients have my cell phone
number.
If you leave a message on my voice mail number, my cell phone gets
paged. If
you call my office and want to talk to me and I am not there, they will
transfer the
call to my cell phone. You can also text message my cell phone from my
website
or email my cell phone at 3173199012@vtext.com
The only times I don’t answer my cell phone is when I am sleeping, in
a meeting
or with another client. I return calls as soon as possible.
Tim Lord – Broker Associate – e-PRO - Accredited Buyer
Representative (ABR)
Century 21 ATC In The Village, 135 E Sycamore Street, Zionsville, IN
46077
Cell 317.319.9012 Office 317.873.1700 Fax 317.873.1009 VM 317.705.2938
Website - www.TimLordRealtor.com
Blog - www.LivingInPike.com
Email – tim@TimLordRealtor.com
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