Sound Off: What questions should you ask a Realtor?

A: You are enlisting the skill and care of a professional agent to represent you in one of the biggest transactions of your life. Choose an agent who holds your interests above their own and who is a top negotiator. Do not choose your dear friend or relative simply because they have a license. Some questions to ask:  What areas do you specialize in? Real estate is hyper-local; the Bay Area is vast. Beware of the agent who crosses bridges and county lines.

 How many homes do you see every week? Touring is the only way to know real estate.

 How many active clients do you have right now? Do they have time for you?

 How does your team operate? Well-run teams offer more than an individual agent.

 How many transactions have you done in the past year? What is your list to sale ratio? If no track record, do they have a seasoned mentor?

 Tell me about the last three times you had a challenging client. How did you handle it? Checking for service mentality and honesty.

 Why should I hire you? Looking for confidence and points of differentiation.

John Solaegui, Compass, 415-999-0673, john@havengroupsf.com. A: Your home purchase or sale is very important and you need to feel like you can trust your agent and can ask them anything.

If your agent is not willing to discuss all the financial details of the transaction and is not willing to budge on their commission or terms, then you need to find a Realtor you can rely on.

I recently met with two families last weekend who are thinking about selling their homes, one in Orinda and one in Lafayette. Both families had really great questions. They were experienced home sellers.

How much can I get for my house? What are you going to do to sell my house? Do you offer free staging and house prep? How much commission do you charge? Do you offer discounts?

I asked one of my first-time buyer couples who also had great thoughtful questions, here is their response:

How much do you charge? Who pays you? How long have you been in business? What are you going to do to help us? How does the escrow process work and how long is it? How do we get a loan? Will you help us with the inspection process?

Jane Smith, Dudum Real Estate, 925-998-1914,

janesmith@dudum.com. A: Selecting the right Realtor is critical to both your pocket book and your stress level. Start by asking a series of basic questions to get to know your Realtor.

 How long have you been a Realtor?

 How many homes have you sold in … (the specific market you are buying or selling a home in?)

 How active are you currently?

When asking the above questions, you are looking for a Realtor that has had their fingers in the pie. They need to have experience, know the market intimately, know your competition and be very well-connected.

Next, ask if they have a team. You are trying to determine if they have the ability to service you at a high level.

If the answer is yes, ask how their team is structured. I recommend a team where everyone does what they do best instead of a team that is formed to share advertising and expenses. Specialists are the wave of the future.

Lastly, ask the Realtor if they ever negotiate their commission. The best Realtors will fight for their hard-earned money, which is a great sign that they will negotiate well on your behalf.

Dana Green,

Compass, 925-339-1918, dana@danagreenteam.com.