What Should I Ask a REALTOR® Before I Hire One to Sell My Bozeman Home?

Treat the first appointment as an interview, not a presentation. Ask about the five things that decide how your sale goes: how they will market your home, how they negotiate, how they will communicate with you, what experience they have with homes like yours, and who will actually do the work. Listen for specifics. An agent who answers with a real plan, real examples and a clear way of keeping you informed is worth talking to. An agent who answers with a smile and a lower commission is not.

I'm Courtney Foster, a REALTOR® in Bozeman, Montana, helping longtime homeowners decide what their equity is for and move into a home that fits their life now. I'd rather you ask me every question on this list than hire anyone, me included, without asking.

Because your home is a huge investment, and the agent you hire decides how it gets presented, who sees it and what you walk away with.

A lot of sellers choose someone they already know who happens to have a license. A friend from the gym, a neighbor, Uncle Harvey. He might be a super nice guy. That does not make him the right person to sell your house. Choosing an agent is a lot like choosing a surgeon. You would not let your next-door neighbor operate on you because he lends you his lawnmower and offers a family discount. You would check his credentials, whether he does your kind of surgery, and his reputation.

Your house deserves the same scrutiny. Trying to save money on representation can cost you far more than you think you are saving. Mistakes in marketing, pricing or the contract are expensive, and they are hard to undo.

So rather than sitting through the dog and pony show, use the appointment as an in-depth interview. Don't be afraid to grill them.

Marketing and negotiation are the two most important parts of a listing agent's job, so start here. You do not have to become a marketing expert. You just need to know what a good answer sounds like.

1. Specifically, what will you do to market my home?
2. Which buyers would you target for my home, and why? How will you reach them?
3. What do you think makes my home most attractive to buyers, and how will you feature it?
4. Who will take the photos and video?
5. On which sites will my home appear, and how often do you update them?
6. What campaign do you run before the home officially goes on the market?
7. What social media ads will you run? How do you track them, and what do the numbers tell you?
8. Can you show me reach, engagement and video views from ads on homes you have sold?
9. How do you target buyers who are looking at homes like mine?

What a good answer sounds like: a plan you can picture, aimed at buyers who match your home, with results they can show you. If an agent glosses over the ad questions or cannot answer them, it tells you they are not marketing correctly online. "I'll put it on the MLS and post it to my followers" is not a marketing plan. An agent's own followers are mostly other agents and people who already know them. Here is what real marketing for a home looks like.

The second big one. Most sellers do not find out how their agent negotiates until they are in the middle of a deal. Ask before you sign:

1. What negotiation training have you taken, and what credentials do you hold?
2. How would you describe yourself as a negotiator? What is your best skill?
3. What do you think matters most in any negotiation?
4. What part will I play, and how will you and I communicate while it is happening?

What a good answer sounds like: calm, prepared and focused on your priorities. Watch out for two extremes. The agent who brags about being a shark often drives buyers and their agents away. The agent who tells you to give in or you will lose the deal is giving away your money. You want someone in between, firm where it counts and flexible where it costs you nothing. Here is what collaborative negotiation means.

Too many agents get you to sign, then disappear until they have an offer in hand, or a reason they do not have one. You should never have to chase your agent down.

1. How often will you communicate with me, and how?
2. How can I reach you with an urgent question?
3. What checklists or help do you give me to get my home ready for market?
4. How often will I hear about the marketing and the results, and in how much detail?
5. How often will you share feedback from buyers and their agents?
6. How will you and I stay in touch during negotiations?
7. How hands-on are you between contract and closing?

What a good answer sounds like: specific and regular. Not "I'll keep you posted." A good agent will also ask you how you like to be reached: phone, text or email, and what times of day work for you. I give every client a direct number, and I answer it.

1. How much experience do you have selling homes like mine in this area? Can you give me recent examples?
2. How many homes have you sold over your career? Is that you personally, or does it include other agents under your broker?
3. Do you specialize in my type of home? In this area? What makes this kind of home and this area unique?
4. How has selling homes changed in recent years, and how have you kept up?

What a good answer sounds like: examples, not adjectives. Years in the business can cut both ways. An agent with long experience who keeps up with how buyers search today is ideal. One who still sells homes the way it was done decades ago is not, because buyers now find homes online. A newer agent who is sharp and eager can be a good choice too, as long as a good broker is guiding them.

This is the question sellers forget, and it matters.

1. Will I be working with you, or will parts of my sale be handed to someone else?
2. Who handles negotiation? Will you be there personally for every offer?
3. Who are the outside people you rely on: inspectors, stagers, painters, title and escrow? How did you choose them?

What a good answer sounds like: clear. You should know exactly who you are dealing with at every stage. Negotiation in particular should never be handed to someone with no experience or training. I work solo, so the answer from me is short: you work with me, start to finish. The stagers, painters and repair pros I bring in are vetted contractors I hire for your job.

1. Are you a REALTOR®? (REALTORS® agree to follow a Code of Ethics.)
2. What courses have you taken beyond the basics, and what did you learn from them?
3. If they show you a credential: what does it mean, and how will it help sell my home?
4. Are you involved in the community and in professional organizations?
5. What do you think you are known for as an agent?

What a good answer sounds like: the point is not how many letters an agent has after their name. It is which credentials they chose to go after and what they learned that helps you. Don't be impressed by fancy designations. Ask what they mean for your sale.

For reputation, do not rely only on the references an agent hands you. They will give you their happiest clients. Read reviews on Google, Zillow, Facebook and Realtor.com, and check your state's real estate licensing department. If you know other REALTORS® in the area, ask what it is like to work across a deal from this person. Reputation matters to your sale, because other agents steer their buyers away from agents who are difficult to deal with.

An interview runs both ways. Pay attention to what the agent asks you, because it tells you how they will work.

A good agent will want to understand your goals and needs from this sale: your timeline, what you need to walk away with and what matters most. They will ask what you love about the home and what upgrades you have made, because you know the house better than anyone. They will ask how you like to be reached.

If an agent skips all of that and goes straight to their slideshow, that's a red flag. It usually means you will get an off-the-shelf plan and an off-the-shelf result.

• Hiring a friend or relative by default. Liking someone and trusting them with your largest asset are two different decisions.
• Choosing on commission alone. A discount that comes with weaker marketing or negotiation is not a discount.
• Hiring the agent with the highest suggested price. If most of the agents you interview say a price is too high, the one who says "no problem" is not doing you a favor. Here is how I think about pricing.
• Not asking about communication. It is the thing sellers complain about most once they are listed.
• Skipping rapport. You will spend weeks making decisions with this person. You do not need a best friend, but you need someone who listens and understands why this sale matters to you.

How many agents should I interview?

Enough to compare real answers. Ask each one the same questions so you can line their answers up side by side.

Is it rude to ask an agent all of these questions?

No. A good agent expects it and is glad you asked. Keep this list next to you at the appointment so you do not forget anything.

What if I am also buying?

Ask how the agent handles both sides of a move. Here is how I think about buying first or selling first.

What will you do differently from other agents?

I sell every home with the same seven-step system, the Simple Selling Method™, from the first conversation to closing day. Here is every step.

Bring these questions to your first conversation with me. Tell me about your house and what you are weighing, or call me at (406) 606-9551. If you want a number first, start with a real value on your home. And if you are interviewing other agents too, good. Ask them the same questions.

Courtney Foster is a REALTOR® in Bozeman, Montana, helping longtime homeowners decide what their equity is for and move into a home that fits their life now. www.CourtneyFoster.com