DeHildren Announces Updated Criteria for Finding the Right Listing Agent

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"an overwhelming percentage of home sales now start with the prospective buyer finding a house on the internet"

Bainbridge, Georgia (PRWEB) July 13, 2012

Larry Lennard, Associate Real Estate Broker with DeHildren Realty, with locations in Bainbridge and Thomasville Georgia, announced specific new criteria for selection of a real estate listing agent. According to Larry, the whole concept of “marketing” your home has changed dramatically in recent years.

In years past, when a homeowner was ready to sell their house, they often called the agent who originally sold it to them to handle the transaction. The agent paid a visit to the residence, created the listing, stuck a “For Sale” sign in the yard and left. The agent’s company then dutifully advertised the house periodically in the newspaper and real estate magazine.

This strategy is no longer successful. An overwhelming percentage of homes sales now start with the prospective buyer finding a house on the internet, not by reading the newspaper or a real estate magazine. As a result, an entirely different process exists today. In order to sell your home, the agent must effectively market properties on the Internet. This is especially imperative in the many real estate markets nationwide where there are more homes for sale than potential buyers.

Here are a few suggestions for finding a listing agent who can market your home productively:

•     Search the internet! Google “your city + real estate” to see which agents appear on the first page of the results. If your agent or the agency can’t be easily found, your house won’t be easily found either.
•     Schedule interviews with several potential agents found on the Internet.
•     Check several of the existing listings for each agent. Properly showing the features of a home online is important. Each listing should contain a large number of photographs to adequately show all of the positive points of the home.
•     Evaluate the agent’s ability to write compelling copy describing homes that have been listed. It is very important for copy to convey the benefits as well as the features of the home in order to attract potential buyers.
•     Your agent must understand the market data for your neighborhood. Ask about homes that the agent has recently sold nearby. If the agent hasn’t sold homes in your area, then the agent may not be aware of important neighborhood characteristics like schools, parks, past home appreciation, etc.
•     Many homes sales today are “short sales”, where the sales price is less than the amount owed by the seller. Short sales are complicated. It is vitally important that your agent is experienced. Otherwise, the sales process may be long and complicated.

For in-depth information, read Larry’s entire article. It's filled with invaluable advice.

About Larry:
Larry Lennard is an Associate Broker with DeHildren, the largest real estate agency in Bainbridge, Georgia. Larry is a graduate of nationally recognized Realtor® Institute (GRI). In addition, he is also a Loss Mitigation Specialist (LMI) and is qualified to assist homeowners facing the risk of foreclosure. Larry has been selling real estate in South Georgia since 1992 and has made the million dollar club for nineteen years. He specializes in real estate in Thomas, Grady, Seminole, Decatur, Early, Miller and Mitchell counties.

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