“I’ve been interviewing agents to sell my mother’s home. After talking with five, I’ve come to the conclusion I really have no idea how to tell who I should hire. Help!”
***ANSWER:
I’m going to tell you something you already know, but perhaps in all the confusion have forgotten.
The best predictor of future performance is…
…Past performance!
Think of it this way:
If you needed brain surgery, do you pick the surgeon…
A) that your uncle recommended
B) who had the lowest fee
C) with the best track record of the most successful brain surgeries
If you were being sued for $10,000,000, do you pick the attorney…
A) with a known law firm
B) who made the best presentation
C) with the best track record of winning the most lawsuits
So now that you’re selling a property, do you hire the agent…
A) who says she “does a lot of business” and was “one of the top agents in her office”
B) with the best personality
C) with the best track record of selling the most homes
If you answered C to all of the above, congratulations! Yes, the “A”s and “B”s sounded OK. But when you really think about it, did they tell you anything about the agent’s past performance?
Great, but how can you see the agent’s past performance?
One easy way is to ask them to print out a list from the MLS (multiple listing service) of all the homes they’ve listed that sold in the past 5 years. Then hire whoever has the longer list!
