How to choose a realtor to sell your home: questions that matter
If you're working out how to choose a realtor to sell your home, start with three things. Ask how they will price it, how they will market it and how they will handle the paperwork and negotiation. Then decide how much of the work you want to do yourself, because that choice determines which kind of agent or service fits.
Below I go through the questions I would ask if I were the seller. I also explain how boutique and franchise brokerages are set up, how flat-fee and full-service listings split the work, and what California requires from a seller who goes without an agent.
The questions that matter when choosing a realtor to sell your home
An interview with a listing agent should cover the mechanics of your sale. A sales pitch doesn't tell you much. Ask each agent the same questions so you can compare the answers side by side.
- How did you arrive at this price? Ask to see the comparable sales behind the number, and ask why each one was chosen or left out. If an agent gives you a number with no closed sales behind it, you have no way to test it.
- Who will I deal with day to day? Find out whether the person you are interviewing will run the listing or pass it to a team member or assistant.
- What does the marketing plan include? Ask for specifics: photography, floor plans, where the listing will appear, and how showings will be scheduled.
- How do you handle multiple offers? Ask how they compare terms beyond price, such as contingencies, financing and the close date.
- What happens if we need to adjust? Ask what they will measure after launch and when they would recommend a change.
- What are the listing agreement terms? Read the length of the agreement, how it can be cancelled and how compensation is structured before you sign.
Check every agent's license too. The California Department of Real Estate has a public license lookup at dre.ca.gov where you can search by name, company or license ID. Run each candidate's name before your interview and read the record that comes up.
What is a boutique real estate brokerage, and how does it differ from a franchise?
A boutique brokerage is an independent firm that is not part of a national franchise system. A franchise office does business under a national brand name. That is the structural difference. It tells you who owns the brand on the sign, but on its own it does not tell you how a given office runs.
So ask. Ask any firm, independent or franchise, who owns it and who supervises the agents. Ask what systems, forms and training the agents use, and where those come from. Ask who sets the office's service standards and who reviews a listing agreement or purchase contract before it goes out. The answers tell you more than the name on the sign.
Neither structure guarantees a better result. What counts is the agent who will handle your file and the broker who is accountable for it. Ask any agent, at any firm, who reviews their contracts and who you can call if something goes wrong. Then judge the answer.
Flat-fee and full-service listings: who does the work
You may be wondering whether flat-fee agents are worth it. The useful way to answer that is to look at the scope of work, not the label. A flat-fee listing covers a defined set of services, which may include getting the home onto the multiple listing service, and leaves the rest to you. A full-service listing puts pricing, preparation, marketing, showings, negotiation and escrow management in the agent's hands.
Under a flat-fee arrangement, expect to take on some or all of these yourself:
- Setting the list price and deciding when to change it
- Scheduling showings and answering buyer agents' questions
- Reviewing offers and writing counteroffers
- Tracking contingency deadlines, inspections and repair requests
- Coordinating with escrow, the lender and the appraiser
If you are comfortable doing all of that, a defined service may fit. If you would rather hand it off, a full-service listing puts that work with the agent. Before you sign anything, get the exact list of included services in writing and compare it with the work your sale will actually need.
Selling without an agent in California
Can I sell my house in California without a realtor? If you do, the disclosure duties still apply to you, and you are responsible for getting them right. The exemptions in the Civil Code turn on the type of transaction, not on whether an agent is involved.
Under California's transfer disclosure law (Civil Code Section 1102 and the sections that follow it), the seller of single-family residential property must deliver a Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement, the form set out in Section 1102.6. The exemptions in Section 1102.2 cover certain transaction types, such as some court-ordered and family transfers. Selling without an agent is not one of them. Civil Code Section 1103 adds a Natural Hazard Disclosure for properties in mapped zones such as special flood hazard areas, earthquake fault zones, seismic hazard zones and very high fire hazard severity zones. Section 1103 also says that any waiver of these requirements is void.
There is more. Civil Code Section 2079.10a requires residential sale contracts to include a notice pointing buyers to the Department of Justice's Megan's Law website. If your home was built before 1978, the federal Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Rule, issued by the EPA and HUD, requires you to disclose known lead-based paint and hazards, hand over any reports you have, and give the buyer the federal information pamphlet. You will also need a purchase contract, escrow instructions and a plan for inspections and repair negotiations. If you sell on your own, I would budget for a real estate attorney to review the documents.
Local knowledge: what to ask about your area
An agent should be able to explain how your location shows up in the listing and in the buyer's questions. In Granite Bay, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area has a Granite Bay entrance, reached from Interstate 80 by Douglas Boulevard. California State Parks lists the Granite Bay Main Beach and reservable group picnic sites there. If your home is near that entrance, ask a candidate agent how they would present lake access in the listing and how they would answer buyer questions about living near a state park. California State Parks notes that the recreation area can be reached from both Highway 50 and Interstate 80. An agent should be able to describe those routes accurately in the listing.
In Folsom, the Historic District along Sutter Street has its own planning resources from the City of Folsom, along with a Historic District Commission. A seller in or near the district should ask a candidate agent to confirm whether the property falls inside the district. They should also ask how the agent would use the city's historic district resources to answer buyer questions. In Roseville, the city lists an arena soccer field at Maidu Park, a smaller all-weather field in a covered arena. The city also runs the Maidu Museum & Historic Site at 1970 Johnson Ranch Drive. An agent listing a home nearby should know what these sites are and how to describe them accurately, without overstating them.
Ask every candidate for the last 90 days of closed sales near your home, along with the active and pending listings. That gives you a current picture of your own market. It is more useful than any general claim about conditions.
Common questions
How many agents should I interview before listing?
No rule sets a number. Interview enough agents to compare pricing methods and marketing plans side by side, and ask each one the same questions. Agree to work with someone only once you have seen the comparable sales behind their price.
Do I still fill out disclosures if I use a flat-fee service?
Yes. California disclosure duties fall on the seller whatever service you choose. Ask the flat-fee provider which forms they supply and who reviews your answers before they go to the buyer.
Should my listing agent also represent the buyer?
An agent who represents both the buyer and the seller is a dual agent. California Civil Code Section 2079.21 says a dual agent may not, without the seller's express permission, tell the buyer confidential information obtained from the seller. The same limit applies in the other direction. The section gives examples, such as the seller being willing to accept less than the list price. Before you agree to this, ask the agent how they will handle negotiation and confidential information when representing both sides. Then decide whether that arrangement suits you.
Bottom line
Choose the agent whose answers on pricing, marketing and paperwork you can check for yourself. Pick a business model based on how much of the work you want to do yourself, not on the label. If you sell without an agent, learn California's disclosure requirements before your first showing. Our selling resources walk through each stage. If you're also buying your next home, our buyer resources cover that side. When you're ready to go through your own sale, contact us.