Questions to Ask BEFORE You Hire:

• Are you a Realtor®?  
  Make sure you're hiring a Realtor - not just a real estate agent.
  (see next section - Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent)

• How many years have you been a FULL-TIME Realtor^®?
  Part-timers need not apply!  Make sure your Realtor is available to you and potential buyers who might want to view your property - not at their so-called "real job!"

• Which towns are within your Primary Service Area?
  Determine quickly if this is the right Realtor for you by asking which towns are within their service area.  If they aren't personally selling homes in your town on a consistent basis, you shouldn't consider hiring them.

• Are the Realtors^® within your sales office full-time, experienced Realtors and will they be familiar with my property?
   At RE/MAX, only the listing agent answers inquiries about your property - NOT a secretary or part-time Realtor!  This ensures that all questions regarding your property are answered in an intelligent and professional manner.  By the way - in New Jersey, RE/MAX agents average more than 13 years in the real estate business  - no slackers or "dead wood" at RE/MAX!

• Which Multiple Listing Services (MLS's) will you use to properly market my property?
  If your home is located in Bergen County, make sure the Realtor promises to list your home on the two MLS services covering this area -the New Jersey MLS AND the Garden State MLS.  It is imperative that your home be listed on BOTH of these services!  (Some Realtors aren't even members of both!  It costs them money they don't want to spend!)

• What properties have you listed or sold in this neighborhood lately?
  Hire a Realtor who knows the area and has a proven and successful track record in getting the job done in your neighborhood.  This can be vital when pricing your home for sale as well as receiving prompt and personal attention from your Realtor. 

• What is your sales track record?
  Find a Realtor who has maintained a proven track record of success.  If they've only sold 6 or 7 houses in the past year, keep interviewing! 

• Do you have a list of references?
  Speak with sellers who have recently sold a home through the Realtor you're considering hiring.

• What methods of advertising will you utilize to market my home? 
  Internet postings, Newspaper ads, Lawn Signs, Realtor Open Houses, Public Open Houses, and magazine ads are all important advertising components and should all be utilized for maximum exposure.  See what we do and compare!

• Which web sites will you use to advertise my property?
  At a minimum, your property should be advertised on the Realtor's personal web site (do they have one - and is it updated?), the Realtor's company's web sites, and Realtor.com complete with full details, multiple photos, and virtual tour.

• What share of the commission will you offer a cooperating broker who finds the buyer?  
  THIS IS CRUCIAL!!  Before you list your property, ask how much of the commission the Realtor will keep for themselves for marketing your home - and how much they are offering to the Realtor who sells your home!  Ask them to show you the MLS printouts for competing homes for sale in your town.  Look on those listings to see if your Realtor is offering out a competitive commission fee to the Buyers Agent.  If the commission to the Buyers Agent isn't comparable to the commissions offered on other properties on the market, your property will not take priority when agents decide which homes to show!  Why should they push your home when they can earn more selling that other property? 

• Be wary of the Realtor who wants to "Buy Your Listing."
  Be suspicious of the agent that gives you the highest market valuation for your property.  This tactic lures you into believing your home is worth an inflated price in order to get your listing.  Once you're locked into the contract, the agent will hammer you to lower the price until it's at a realistic price and eventually sells.  Statistics prove properties which are over-priced when first listed stay on the market longer and sell for less than if they'd just been priced properly from the start!

• Do you offer your marketing guarantee IN WRITING?  
  Were you just offered something that sounded too good to be true?  Well, it just might be!  Protect yourself.  Make sure your Realtor^® can back up promises in writing.  This guarantee should be signed by both you and your Realtor, and you should receive a copy.  In this guarantee, it is imperative that you include a clause allowing you an unconditional withdrawal of your listing without penalty if the Realtor defaults.  There's also a conditional withdrawal - but this will only remove your property from the MLS service(s).  You're still under contractual obligation to that broker until the expiration of your listing agreement.  This will prevent you from re-listing your property with another agent unless you want to pay commissions to both agents!

• Will you be present at all home inspections ordered by the buyer?
  After an offer is negotiated on your property, several inspections will take place.  Your Realtor should be present at ALL inspections in the event of a problem.

• Will you be present at the closing?
  Your Realtor should be part of your transaction from the very beginning until the very end.  Issues sometimes pop up at the closing table.  Your Realtor should be on hand to help act as a buffer among all parties present.  Your attorney is there to offer you legal advice and protection; however, the Realtor is the person who should know every aspect of the sale.
  

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More Important Info:

• A Realtor should be a member of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), a member of the New Jersey Association of Realtor^® (NJAR), and, in Bergen County, a member of both the NJMLS and GSMLS. 

• Bergen County properties should be listed on both the New Jersey MLS & Garden State MLS.  

• Your Realtor should explain and disclose Agency Relationships. At the "serious first contact" a Realtor^® is obligated to discuss their Agency role.  Do they represent the buyer, the seller, or both?

• Your Realtor should advise you on how to best prepare your home for the market to minimize time on the market and maximize your sales price.

• Your Realtor should listen attentively to your personal goals, take detailed property notes, and make you feel that you could have a comfortable and trusting business relationship.

• Your Realtor should compile a Comparative Market Analysis to determine your property's value complete with detailed property information of recent home sales and photos.

• Your Realtor should thoroughly explain all documentation and paperwork involved in the sales transaction.

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Realtor vs. Real Estate Agent

The terms Agent, Broker and REALTOR^® are often used interchangeably, but have very different meanings.  For example, not all agents (also called salespersons) or brokers are Realtors^®.

A Realtor^® is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^®, The Voice for Real Estate^® - the world's largest professional association. The term REALTOR^® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® (NAR) and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.  Founded in 1908, NAR has grown from its original nucleus of 120 to today's 750,000 members.  NAR is composed of residential and commercial Realtors^®, who are brokers, salespeople, property managers, appraisers, counselors and others engaged in all aspects of the real estate industry.  Members belong to one or more of some 1,700 local associations/boards and 54 state and territory associations of REALTORS^®.  They can join one of our many institutes, societies and councils. Additionally, NAR offers members the opportunity to be active in our appraisal and international real estate specialty sections.  REALTORS^® are pledged to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. 

Working for America's property owners, NAR provides a facility for professional development, research and exchange of information among its members and to the public and government for the purpose of preserving the free enterprise system and the right to own real property.