Sellers: What Your Calgary Real Estate Agent
Should be Doing for You

As with any industry, in real estate, there are bad listing agents out there that do things like:

• ignore your phone calls and emails
• over-price your home
• offer you little guidance during the selling process
• neglect to advertise your home online 
• take unprofessional-looking photographs of your home
• don't listen to you

When you're selling a home, it's imperative (especially when the market is slow) to have a professional who is truly dedicated to selling your house and meeting your needs. So what are some of the things your listing agent should be doing?

Determining a Price that is Right for Today's Market

What your home was worth 5 years ago isn't of great importance. What's important is to look at what buyers are willing to pay today for a home that has similar size, age, and features. To determine an appropriate listing price, an agent should consider a few items, such as:

• -How much do you need to sell the house for in order to break even, or to afford your next home?
• -How much are comparable properties selling for today?
• -What repairs need to be completed or taken into account?

A good agent will do thorough research, and provide you with a market evaluation so that you feel confident knowing your home is listed for the right price.

If you'd like to get an idea of what the market in your Calgary neighbourhood is like, we offer free, detailed neighbourhood market updates. You can also see a snapshot of the Calgary real estate market or get a free home evaluation.

Developing a Marketing Plan for your Calgary Home

Simply putting up a For Sale sign and posting an ad in the local newspaper isn't enough to sell a home in Calgary these days. You need an agent that understands where the majority of today's buyers are looking for properties, and what they're looking for.

To prepare your home for sale, you need to have the property looking its best, inside and out. Your agent should be able to give you tips on how best to stage and present your home to increase its chances of selling. Either that or they will refer you to a professional stager.

Once your house is de-cluttered and staged, your agent should have photographs taken—preferably by a professional photographer. Bad listing photos are so common, that there are even blogs specifically dedicated to showcasing them. Do not let your home be one of those listings. Pictures give buyers their first impression of your home, so it's critical that they are well executed.

In addition to photos, savvy agents also do video tours or virtual home tours, which allow buyers to explore a home's inner landscape at their leisure. They may also create brochures or feature sheets to hand out at open houses, with photos and listing details.

One of the most critical components of successful real estate marketing today is advertising online. If your agent thinks that the internet is just a fad, you may want to consider hiring someone else.

If your agent doesn't promote their listings on the CREB MLS®, they're missing a big opportunity to get in front of thousands of potential buyers and other agents. In addition to MLS® exposure, a good agent will also feature your listing on their website, on other sites like Realtor.ca, and promote it using social networking services like Facebook and Twitter. The more comfortable your real estate agent is with today's technology, the better chance there is of exposing your listing to the right person.

While the internet has revolutionized the real estate industry, traditional marketing methods still have their place. Your agent may opt to do some print advertising and hold open houses to complement their online efforts. Also important is their ability to use their network to promote your property.

See one example of how we highlight our Featured Calgary Real Estate Listings. We also promote our listings on several other sites, including Facebook, Youtube, JustListedCalgary.ca, and CalgaryRealEstateBroker.com—to name just a few.

Communicating Regularly

At no time should you be left in the dark regarding the process of your sale. You should be given regular updates to keep you abreast of marketing efforts, feedback from potential buyers, and of course, any offers that have been received. They should also be available to answer any questions you may have about the process.

The person you hire should be a full-time Calgary real estate agent, rather than someone who only works in the field part-time. You want someone with up-to-date, local information, and the ability to put forth the time needed to market your home properly.

Negotiating with Your Best Interests in Mind

Real estate contracts can be complicated, so it's important to have an agent on hand that understands them, and can help you do so as well. When you get an offer, your listing agent should guide you in terms of contract contingencies—helping you decide which ones are acceptable, and which ones are not. They should also be able to offer advice and skillfully negotiate the best deal possible.

Providing Support After the Sale

A really good agent will provide you with referrals for moving companies and related services that you may be in need of. They will also be ready to help when you're in the market to buy.

A good real estate agent can be hard to find, but getting referrals from people is a good way to start. Visit our Testimonials page to see what past clients have to say about the Justin Havre Real Estate Team.

For more information about our Calgary real estate services for sellers, please visit our Sellers' Presentation or contact our Calgary real estate agents any time if you have questions.