Meeting With a Realtor for the First Time? Here’s What to Expect
- Published on
- 8 min read
-
Catherine Conelly, Contributing AuthorClose
Catherine Conelly Contributing AuthorCatherine has 8 years of experience as a writer and editor. Her work can be seen in PopSugar, Thrillist, Shape, and SheKnows. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing from Arizona State University and currently resides in Arizona.
-
Fran Metz, Contributing EditorClose
Fran Metz Contributing EditorFran Metz is a freelance content writer, editor, blogger and traveler based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She has seven years of experience in print journalism, working at newspapers from coast to coast. She has a BA in Mass Communications from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and lived in Arvada for 15 years, where she gained her experience with the ever-changing real estate market. In her free time, she enjoys 4-wheeling, fishing, and creating digital art.
Your first meeting with a Realtor to sell your house is often overshadowed by other parts of the home-selling process, such as inspections, an appraisal, and open houses. Although the meeting can be casual, being too laid-back might cause you to miss potential issues before they arise. Having a productive and thorough conversation is essential for maximizing profit while minimizing complications.
Step one: Talk to an expert!
Selling your house soon? Connect with a top agent near you to get an expert opinion on how much your house will sell for, what to fix before listing, and the latest local housing market trends.
Your agent wants to make this easy
Jennifer Rosdail is a top real estate agent-based in San Francisco with 22 years of experience. Her perspective? Real estate is not just about selling homes.
“It’s really about helping people,” Rosdail says. And that first meeting is your chance to lay all your concerns and questions on the table. Think about it: When you’re moving, you’re starting a new chapter. It’s often a major turning point in your life, marked by a milestone life event.
Maybe you’re expanding your family, relocating for a new job, or you’ve lost a loved one and are having to sell their home. Stressed, sad, excited, and nervous may all be emotions bubbling up as your house becomes an active listing. So what should you expect from that first meeting with a Realtor to ensure this process doesn’t add to your stress? Here are some considerations.
A quick primer: While a Realtor® and a real estate agent often have overlapping roles, they are not the same. A real estate agent is licensed by the state to facilitate real estate transactions and may also be a Realtor, but not necessarily. On the other hand, a Realtor is a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and is almost always a practicing real estate agent or broker.
Come prepared with key documents
Fortunately, sellers have less paperwork to handle than buyers during a home transaction. There’s no need to gather bank statements or proof of employment. However, as a seller, it’s still important to provide relevant documents and information to your listing agent.
- Mortgage docs that reflect what you owe on the home. This will help your agent price the home and build a net sheet that projects your profit after fees and closing costs.
- A list of upgrades you’ve made to the home. Again, this helps your agent price your home based on the investments you’ve made, finding and comparing your upgrades to other homes in your neighborhood.
- Your pre-listing inspection. That is, if you’ve opted for one. It’s not required, but it might help you sell faster by getting ahead of repair requests that can turn off some buyers, and sometimes prevent them from making an offer.
- Property survey. This isn’t always necessary, but it becomes important when dealing with property easements or unclear property boundaries. Conducting a survey ensures accurate pricing per square foot and helps in effectively marketing your listing.
Expect to give a full tour
Be prepared to give your agent a detailed tour of your house, highlighting any upgrades and issues in the home. Typically, the walkthrough is conducted in person, but you may also provide a tour over Zoom or another video conferencing platform, if needed.
This is also a good time to point out any items you want to keep, such as the washer and dryer or anything attached to the walls. Go through each room with your agent, who will ask questions and suggest potential upgrades or improvements.
While you’ll want to cover the listing agreement as well as your agent’s fees and marketing plan in that first meeting, the house itself likely will be the highlight of your conversation. Rosdail views this time with sellers as an opportunity to advise on decluttering, cleaning up, and making minor repairs.
“Often, people’s biggest concern is, ‘What am I going to have to do to my house? And how are you going to help me get it done?’” Rosdail says.
Along with a list of upgrades you’ve made to your home, bring a list of any problem areas that might not be immediately visible to the agent. If you suspect there are issues that need attention, such as a leaky faucet or scuffed walls, ask your agent whether it’s worth repairing or if they can be left as-is.
Start planning for home preparation
Discussing how to prepare your property for showing is a crucial part of the listing process, and your agent’s advice on this matter is valuable. Following their recommendations can help attract and retain potential buyers.
According to NAR’s June 2024 Confidence Report, in the past three months, 13% of contracts experienced delayed settlements, and 7% of contracts were delayed due to appraisal issues. To avoid closing delays, it’s important to get ahead of anything that may deter buyers, from major problems like shoddy wiring to simple fixes like deep cleaning and decluttering. And your agent will cover all of that in your first meeting.
Even if your home has no major issues, pay attention to the minor details your agent points out, as they can affect the sale. Rosdail recalls a buyer who rejected their dream home, even at a below-market price, simply because there were crumbs on the kitchen counter. “She was completely grossed out by that, and she couldn’t see past it.”
And if you’re unwilling to rearrange furniture, declutter a closet, or deep clean the bathrooms, you’re making it more challenging for your agent to sell your home for the best price.
So, let’s agree on this: It’s important to follow your agent’s advice. If a project or repair is outside your budget, your agent won’t insist on it and might even offer concierge funds to cover the costs up front, which you can repay at closing.
Once you and your agent are aligned on preparing the house, you can move on to another important step: Setting an official listing date — when your home will go live on the market — based on how long it will take to get the property ready for showings.
Some of the most common suggestions agents make in that first meeting include:
Decluttering and cleaning
This involves organizing closets, removing highly personal or niche decor, and generally neutralizing each room. HomeLight’s research suggests that reducing clutter can increase resale value by up to 3% to 5%. Use this checklist to begin. Most importantly, view your home from a prospective buyer’s perspective and consider what you would and wouldn’t want to see.
Staging
Your agent may recommend rearranging furniture to showcase the best use of the space. They might also recommend adding or removing specific decor items. If you want to go all out, you can also hire a professional home stager who will bring in all new furniture for key rooms. But keep in mind that with staging, often less is more:
- In the office: Your desk, chair, lamp, and a rug will do.
- In the bedrooms: Leave only a bed, white linens, a dresser, and a nightstand with a lamp.
- In the living room: Keep a couch, a coffee table, a TV, and an area rug to create a clear seating area.
People don’t want to feel like they’re inheriting your leftovers, so your agent will probably advise you to remove more items than you add back.
“That’s why staging works so well,” Rosdail says. “You don’t feel like you’re intruding in someone else’s house. You’re there with a blank canvas to kind of have an emotional connection.”
Curb appeal
Curb appeal can boost your home’s selling price. According to a NAR study, enhancing curb appeal is crucial for most Realtors.
79% of those surveyed believe curb appeal is essential for drawing in buyers, and 94% of Realtors recommend making improvements before listing a property. So don’t be surprised if your agent suggests pulling weeds, mowing grass, and adding a few new plants for color pops.
No one expects you to introduce expensive, high-end landscaping. But does the yard look clean? Does it look well-maintained? Those are the questions to ask yourself. However, aside from fresh-cut grass and waging war on weeds, what else goes into curb appeal? We’ve outlined a weekend’s worth of projects that add curb appeal to get you started.
Be ready to talk price and sign paperwork
While preparing your home is crucial, don’t overlook the importance of discussing your home’s list price and finalizing your listing agreement, if you haven’t done so already. Share your desired sale price or your break-even point with your agent. They will help you evaluate comparable homes or “comps” in your area and compare your listing with recently sold properties.
Remember, overpricing is one of the most common mistakes sellers make. While the final decision is yours, consider your agent’s advice if they recommend a lower list price than you originally planned.
According to Rosdail, “Being available and open-minded is the key” for agents and sellers to work effectively together. Your first meeting is crucial for aligning strategies, addressing your needs, and communicating expectations from the start. Both parties have financial stakes in the deal, so making the most of this initial discussion is essential.
Header Image Source: (Kampus Production/ Pexels)
At HomeLight, our vision is a world where every real estate transaction is simple, certain, and satisfying. Therefore, we promote strict editorial integrity in each of our posts.
