How to Choose your Santa Cruz Realtor When Selling a Home in Santa Cruz!

5 Tips on How to Choose your Santa Cruz Realtor When Selling a Home in Santa Cruz!

I’m Shemeika Fox, your Santa Cruz real estate expert. And today we’re gonna talk about how to choose the right Santa Cruz Realtor when you are considering selling your Santa Cruz home. It’s true, not all Santa Cruz listing agents are created equally, but a recent study showed that 90% of people who interviewed a listing agent about selling a home hired the very first person that they met with. Can you imagine somebody that you just met off the street for the very first time and not doing any research, selling the largest asset, your home? I have 5 tips for you today on how to choose the right Santa Cruz Realtor to sell your home.

1.Not all listing agents in Santa Cruz are the same. Though a recent study showed that most sellers picked the very first listing agent they met with. When choosing a Santa Cruz Realtor to help you sell what is likely one of your largest assets, make sure you do your homework and choose a listing agent that can strategize and negotiate to the benefit of you and your home sale. Evaluate the listing agents experience and and marketing capabilities. Interview at least three Santa Cruz real estate agents over the phone. And choose the best listing agent based on their professional experience and personal connection that you have with them.

2.Find quality candidates to fill your need to hire a Santa Cruz listing agent. Do on-line and in field research. Searching online these days for anything is both a blessing and a curse. When selling a home, there is just so much information out there, that it is hard to keep it all straight. Pay attention to the important details when researching online, such as production and reviews. Your online research is key when selling a home.

• Production: Does the listing agent you are considering have a high volume of production, year over year? The Real estate industry evolves so quickly it is important to hire a listing agent to help sell your home who does a high enough volume of sales that you can be assured they are up to date on the most relevant technology, laws ordinances etc.
• Reviews: Read the Santa Cruz Realtor’s reviews. Are they positive? Do you resonate with the reviews? For example, if one review says, “the listing agent we hired was great; they were so aggressive and pushy, just they way we like it!” And you personally do not jive with aggressive and pushy, even though it is a positive review, it may not be the right match for you. Therefore, pay attention not only to the rating their past clients gave, but also what the reviews actually say.

3.Evaluate listing agents by their qualifications. When selling a home it is important to look at the Santa Cruz Realtor’s years of experience and sales volume as well as professional training and specialties. Are you talking to a real estate agent, Realtor, or Broker. Do you know the difference?

• Real estate agents must pass a state exam to obtain their real estate license. Depending on the state, a real estate agent completes 30 to 90 hours of classroom instruction to prepare for the exam.
• Realtors are a professional in the real estate industry who is a member of the National Association of Realtors, a 1.4 million member strong trade association. Members must pass professional requirements of their position, pass a test on the NAR Code of Ethics, and pay a yearly membership fee.
• And Brokers have the highest level of education and licensing in the industry. A real estate Broker has obtained their real estate license and completed additional courses in order to pass their state’s Broker exam. This additional in-depth training includes contracts, taxes, ethics, and insurance.

Does the Santa Cruz listing agent you are considering have any special designations? Are they a CNE {certified negotiation expert}, do they have experience with probate sales, are they masters in marketing and exposing your home to the masses? When selling a home, you want to have a negotiation expert on your side in order successfully negotiate on your behalf.

Digital marketing has taken over the world, check out their social media profiles. Does the Santa Cruz listing agent you are talking to have a lot of followers and or engagement other page? You better believe that all listing agents better be promoting your home on their social media platforms so as to get as much traction, attention and interest because the more eyes on your Santa Cruz property, the better the outcome. So make sure the listing agent you choose is not only seasoned, professional and consistent with production, but also has a robust online presence. Large follower bases, several posts per property such as new listing, coming soon, open houses and sold posts. Professional yet creative posts and stories. If the posts are boring people will not engage. Pay attention to effective use of hashtags and high engagement. Are people commenting, reacting and sharing? This is important as we want to really expose your home to the masses.

4. Interview at least 3 Santa Cruz Realtors to get the real deal. You can do a lot of research, but at the end of the day it is also very important that the listing agent you choose to help you sell your Santa Cruz home is compatible with you and your personality. A quick, 15-minute phone call or in-person interview is the most effective way to determine how an agent can help you with your particular Santa Cruz home sale. Through conversation, you can get a feel for important qualitative qualities like honesty and friendliness, as well as a sense of chemistry between your personalities and communication styles. Do they ask questions and listen? Or do they talk over you?

It will be important to discuss the specifics of the Santa Cruz home you are selling and make sure they are able, willing and excited to be a part of the home selling process with you. Be sure to note any unique features. Once you’ve hit the facts, share your objective for your Santa Cruz home sale. Let the listing agent know if you are selling a home in a specific timeframe or for an absolute minimum amount. This interviewing process should help solidify your decision as you have now done your research and had the opportunity to discuss your needs and goals with three Santa Cruz Realtors and have the chance to connect. For more information on questions to ask a listing agent before hiring them, check out our video on questions to ask before you hiring your Santa Cruz listing agent.

5. Now the fun part.. Choose your Santa Cruz listing agent! You have put in the hard work, spent time and asked hard questions… now choose the best Santa Cruz listing agent based on experience and personal connection with them. Trust your decision. You should choose the Santa Cruz Realtor you trust the most and connect with on a personal level. This person will be your confidante throughout the entire home sale process — they’ll stand by you and for you through the good, the bad, and the ugly. If everything looks great on paper, but something just doesn’t feel right during the interview, it probably won’t get better. Go with your gut and enjoy working with a Santa Cruz Realtor to help facilitate the sale of your home!

Now let’s go sell your Santa Cruz home!!!

Call me today if you’d like to schedule a complimentary and confidential consultation. I’d love to share with you how Fox Realty Group can get you top dollar for your home!