The truth of the matter is that many homeowners who are considering hiring a real estate professional often call the first Real Estate agent whose sign they drive by.

An alternative might be that they call their aunt Edna and ask her who she knows that sells real estate in the area.

Most homeowners get caught up in the idea of selling and once they commit to themselves to sell they don't place enough importance on whom it is they will enlist to do the selling for them.

This often results in lost time and money for the homeowner because John Smith (whom they hired because his sign was in the neighborhood) has only been selling real estate part-time for a couple of years and happens to take 3 times longer to sell than the average agent.

To make sure you are not a home seller who hires the wrong real estate salesperson make sure to record the questions below and ask them of any agents vying for your business.

1.How long have you been a licensed realtor?

2.Do you work as a full-time realtor?

3.Do you have assistants that work for you?

4.How many homes did you list last year that sold?

5.How many homes did you list last year that failed to sell?

6.How many of the listings you took did you actually sell yourself?

7.How many transactions did you do last year?

8.What was your average list price to sale price for your listings?

9.What is the real estate board average list price to sale price?

10.What are the average days your listing has been on the market?

11.What are the real estate board average days on the market?

12.Where do you advertise and how often?

13.How do you communicate with sellers and how often?

and finally. . .

14.Why should I hire you?

You'll be surprised to know that the majority of the agents won't know the answers to these questions. In all fairness you may need to allow for an agent to prepare for these questions because only the most empowered home sellers would even know to ask them.

When asking the interview questions be certain to listen to not only what the agent says, but also to how confidently they say it. An experienced agent that knows their market the way you want your realtor to know it will have a high degree of confidence.