Choose a Listing Agent

Throwing money awayListing with the Wrong Real Estate Agent is Like Throwing Money Away

It may sound trite, but it’s true: Your home may be the largest investment you will make in your lifetime.Did you know that there are nearly 856 Realtors in Billings? Sadly, 85 percent of them sell three homes or less per year.

Do you really want to be represented by someone with little to no experience?

Sadly, too many real estate consumers spend more time researching hairdressers than they do considering which person to hire to help them sell such an important investment.

And, no, not all listing agents are alike. Some work part-time, dabbling in real estate. Some are newbies, just starting out with no skills and no experience. Then, there are those who may have years of experience but lack the marketing skills and/or budget necessary to get you the most money possible for your home.

Think about this: you will pay the same commission for the services of a novice or part-time agent as you will for the marketing dream team.

Choose your team wisely

A listing agent’s main job is to market your home. So, the first thing you want to determine when interviewing agents for the job of selling your home is that they not only have marketing skills, but a proven marketing plan and the budget to implement it.

Sure, you can ask the agent about these important characteristics, but the proof really lies in how the agent markets his or her own business. After all, if he can’t effectively market his services, how can you expect him to market your home?

When you’ve narrowed your list of possible listing agents, view their websites. If what you see is paragraph after paragraph of shameless self-promotion and nothing of value to you, the potential client, pass on the agent. He or she knows nothing about marketing.

If the agent doesn’t consistently post valuable, consumer-oriented information to the site’s blog, or the last post was from three years ago, pass on the agent. As well, a site full of grammar and punctuation errors shows a lack of care in the agent’s own product. Just think how much less he will care about yours.

Then, take a look at the listing presentation. It should be slick, professional-looking and compelling. The photographs of the agent’s listings should be professionally shot. If they’re blurry, dark or crooked, this is not the agent for you.

It takes money to make money

And, effective marketing costs money.

In a typical year, most real estate agents list vehicle expenses as their largest business expense category. They paid $1,380 per year to keep up their cars.

Now, if this is their largest business expense, think how little they spend on marketing their listings.

At Realty Billings, we know that it takes money to make money so we keep our marketing budget full of the money required to get our listing clients the most amount possible when they sell their homes.

In case you haven’t realized it yet, we are unlike any other real estate team in Billings.

Realty Billing's reputation wasn't built on mediocrity and cutting corners.

We go big...so you can go home.