There are many great Grand Rapids area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (616) 942-2449 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. The Top 5 Questions You MUST Ask When Interviewing Agents to Sell Your Home Today we are discussing the top 5 questions you should ask a listing agent before you hire them. These 5 questions are rarely asked of us, but we feel they are very critical to understanding if your real estate experience will be successful. We recommend you ask these questions of every person you are considering hiring.   1. How long have you been selling real estate? A lot of people will just hire a friend or family member without even asking or knowing the answer to this question. The listing process is a marketing-based experience and your agent needs to have experience. The agent's tenure will give them the ability to navigate situations that newer agents won't know how to deal with. 2. How many homes did you sell last year? The number of homes an agent sells is usually a sign of things to come in terms of their selling ability. If someone is making hundreds of sales per year, it's an indicator that they are experience and have systems in place to get you a great deal on your home. Someone who doesn't do as many transactions is somewhat of a tossup.  3. What is your average list price vs. your average sale price? If an agent has a good statistic in this area, they will be tracking it and will let you know personally, as well as through their marketing.  4. What is your average days on the market? An agent's marketing style will impact the days on the market through photography and staging. A good agent can decrease days on the market through marketing techniques and increasing the home's exposure 5. How well will you negotiate and how will you get me a better price? How well an agent negotiates is based on both experience and fiduciary function, which means they will do anything to put their seller's interest above all else to get them more money in a shorter time . A good agent will have the systems in place for the negotiation process to start earlier rather than later.  Start with these questions, but be sure to also ask about commission, length of contract, and other standard questions. These 5 questions above are not standard, so they might throw the agent off a bit, which isn't a bad thing. It might actually get you a more honest answer than you would have gotten otherwise.  If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call. We'd be glad to help.