So we want to sell and we’re interviewing different brokers. What are the three things we’d never think of?
1) That you want your broker to pre-screen your buyers. In our dog-and-pony shows, we tell you a lot about how we’ll “attract” a buyer — but you really want a financially qualified buyer with no red flags. The ability to do that sifting is a skill that not every flashy broker has.
2) That you want to be able to show what your apartment would look like renovated. Anything the brokers will do to this end — by redrawing floorplans, using photoshop, getting buyers access to a neighbor’s renovated apartment — will help sell yours. An agent’s architecture and/or design background can be truly relevant here if they can help buyers “see” your home as their home. (Of course, great writers can paint such a picture, too!)
3) That you will want to know who is showing your apartment — on ordinary days, if your agent has two showings at once, if your agent breaks his or her leg. You are looking to connect with the person who is pitching you, but you also want to know about their bench strength. Some agents work with teams; I work for a very small brokerage because I like being able to get to the top guys by just swiveling my chair.
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