Housing Affordability in Toronto: A New Approach to Homeownership
Toronto is an expensive city to live in. It is notorious for its lack of affordable housing, and yet there is never a shortage
September 22, 2014
If you read the previous post, “Mistakes You Can Make When Selling Your Home” one of the key issues is selecting the wrong realtor. There are many real estate agents in the Toronto and Etobicoke area, and making the choice between them can be difficult and confusing. It’s especially difficult when you have spoken with several different realtors and they all seem so convincing.
The key is knowing the right questions to ask. This is particularly important now as homes are taking longer to sell. The following list provides you with questions to ask your prospective realtor. This list will not only help you choose the right agent, but will also ensure that the one you select will be the best realtor to sell your home!
1. How long have you been in the business full-time?
2. How many listings do you take in the average month? How many sales do you have monthly?
3. How long have you been working in this area?
4. Do you have a written marketing plan, specifically designed to get my property sold? What major marketing programs have you designed to ensure that my home gets sold?
5. Will my property be on the Multiple Listing Service? How will you set my listing apart from the crowd? In what ways will you encourage other agents to sell my property?
6. Will you produce a professionally typeset flyer of my property, which will include (as a minimum) an exterior photo?
7. Will you market my property by direct mail to potential buyers?
8. Do you have full-time personal assistants who see that no details are overlooked and who call neighbours around my property looking for buyers?
9. Will I receive a marketing update of my property on a weekly basis?
10. How many potential buyers do you talk to on an ongoing basis? How many hours a day of prospecting do you do?
11. Do you have a list of vendor references for me to review?
12. How much is my property going to sell for? What should it be listed at? How did you arrive at that price?
13. What ongoing education have you enrolled in over the past?
12 months to improve your level of service to your clients?
14. How will you assist me in my relocation plans locally or out of the city (if that is necessary)?
15. How do you rank among your peers – are you among your company’s top realtors?
Do you see how valuable these questions are? You can almost ask them of any realtor over the phone and save yourself and them the time of coming out to your home if their answers are not satisfactory!
Andrew is an expert low commission Toronto, Etobicoke and GTA real estate agent with Royal LePage. He enjoys sharing his years of expertise and knowledge; both professionally and ethically. Andrew Doumont has Mississauga, Oakville, Downtown Toronto and Etobicoke listings and can help you buy or sell your home quickly and efficiently. With listings from all spectrums of the market he caters to each one distinctly, and with exceptional results.