It can be staggering.  You Google “sell a home” and the first four pages are Realtor after Realtor claiming they are the best.  They will get you more money than anyone else.  There are even agents now guaranteeing offers within 48 hours.  The internet is a great tool but sometimes can be very overwhelming.  If you simply want to sell a home while having your specific needs met without having an obnoxiously pushy Realtor insisting you “just sign here”, then Google no more.  I have laid out this page in categories so you can easily skip to what’s important to you.  I will do my best to address the common home selling questions we hear.

Questions To Ask Every Agent You Interview

• How long have you been in the business? (look for experience)
• How many homes have you sold in my area? (look for area knowledge)
• What is your average sales price vs. listing price on your listings? (you want their average home to sell for close to asking price, this will give you a clear picture of their sales ability)
• Do you have a full time assistant? (look for someone with staff otherwise you may be getting someone to busy and may get overwhelmed easily)
• Do you work from an office open during normal business hours? (you want a full service office)
• Do you offer clients in house mortgage & title services? (It’s always better to deal with a full service company)
• How long are your listings normally on the market before they sell? (Compare this to other area homes)
• What will you do to sell my home? (i.e. marketing plan, internet, networking etc)
• Why should I hire you? (This is crucial!)
• What’s my house worth? And ask to see how they came to that price.
• What is your marketing plan to sell my property?

Ask these questions of the real estate agent’s you interview for your home sale.  Realtors are not created equal and some are great at “sales pitches” but do not back it up with good follow through.  These questions will flush out the part timers from the experienced full time real estate agents who take your sale serious.  We offer a free home evaluation in all suburbs and surrounding communities of the Twin Cities.  To see your house value, contact us today for a free home evaluation.

Not All Realtors Are Realtors – What?

According to The Board of Realtors, 90% of the real estate sold is sold by 10% of the agents.  I would argue that number is more like 95% is sold by 5% of the agents.  That number alone shows something is different, but what?  Most agents licensed in Minnesota are part time; do you want a part time agent selling your home?  Some agents simply rely on a “for sale” sign and the MLS to do their job.  In today’s market, that is not enough.

Did you know that many agents in Minnesota are not even Realtors?  You see the term REALTOR® is a copyright that is only assigned to agents who belong to the board.  The agents must take an oath and commit to rules and regulations that are used as a guidelines.  These include honesty, awareness of laws, loyalty & commitment to clients.  All agents with DMG are designated Realtors.

Don’t Buy Into The False Promises of Agents

• I cannot promise you your home will sell for what you need, nobody can.  What I can promise you is that your home will sell for the most money this market will bare based on comparable properties sold.
• I cannot promise you your home will sell in a week.  However I can say our average days on market have been much faster than most other agents year after year.
• I cannot promise you buyers won’t try and low-ball you with ridiculous offers.  But, I can promise you that our years of experience selling hundreds of properties has highly honed our negotiating skills and we will fight hard and smart to get those buyers to realize the value and adjust their offers accordingly.
• I cannot promise you we will have 10 showings a day and a line at the door for an open house.  However, after nearly 20 years in this business your home will get the best exposure it can on the web with our multiple web sites, videos, social networking and massive exposure we have on-line for your area.

What DMG Is About

Our agents are full time and dedicated.  The unique feature with The Derrick Monroe Group is, we are not, nor would we want to be the “typical salesman”.  We are real people who love what we do and it shows.  Our team will not give you false information simply to get another yard sign in the ground.

The reality is we have been in the top percentage of all agents for the last decade and the number one sales team in our area.  This is due to hard work, studying the housing market, advertising outside of the box, massive exposure on the web and great communication with our clients.  It’s a team effort.  Through our years of working in the business, we have acquired a parade of past and repeat customers that recommend us to friends and family.  Become one of those happy customers by contacting the Derrick Monroe Group with Lakes Area Realty today.

When you’re selling a home you need a good Realtor.  I would be more than happy to meet with you and share our process, address any questions you may have and see if we are a fit.  If you’ve already had a Realtor over it never hurts to get a second opinion.  Feel free to call us at 612-282-7653.