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Buying or selling a home can be an overwhelming process. When you have a reputable real estate agent in your corner, you rely on their expertise with every step along the way. This is why you want to interview an agent before you hire them to represent you. With this, here are a few interview questions that homebuyer should ask before they hire a real estate agent. 

Could you provide references?

A reputable real estate agent who has been in business for multiple years should be able to provide you with a list of references. If you do not feel comfortable requesting references, turn to the internet and see if you can find any reviews online. The more positive reviews you can find, the better you should feel about hiring the agent.

What is your strategy to help me?  

This is one of the first questions you should ask an agent before hiring them. They should have a plan of attack to help you be as competitive as possible. Real estate is after all one of the most competitive industries today, and you need a plan of execution. Whether it is marketing or how you are going to compete against other buyers, you should know ahead of time how an agent plans on helping you.

Why separates you from the competition?

When interviewing an agent, you want to be sure to ask what makes them different from other agents in the area. If you speak with multiple agents, be prepared to hear a variety of responses. They may tell you they are trustworthy, great negotiators, honest, and are easily accessible. You have to decide what characteristics and credentials are most important to you.

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Listing photos can be the difference if your home flys off the market or sits for several months. High-quality images should help to generate a considerable amount of interest online. Keep reading and discover a few helpful tips on how to prep your home for listing photos.

Declutter the inside and outside

One of the best steps a home seller can take when selling their home is to eliminate the clutter. If you want to capture the best photos possible, you will need to clear almost anything that isn’t essential, like furniture and lamps. Ideally, you want to get any knick-knacks out of the house; however, if you can’t, you should pack them away in boxes in your garage. The issue with clutter is that it makes a home appear smaller in pictures, which can turn away potential buyers.

Clear out the driveway

Homebuyers want to see the driveway in listing photos. With this, do not block your well-paved driveway with cars, storage containers, and any other objects for listing photos. People want the full view of your home in your listing photos. When your driveway is not clear, they are unable to get the whole picture. 

Eliminate personalizations

It is essential to rid your home of all personalizations before any pictures are taken. Any family pictures or any personal items will not help your home to sell. You want to give your potential buyers with almost a blank canvas so they can envision themselves moving into the home. This is hard to do when your walls, shelves, and fridge feature pictures of your family.

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Are you in the market for a home? Many homebuyers are hesitant to hire a real estate agent because they do not think that it is worth the investment, while others believe that agents are only concerned with closing deals. If you are considering the challenge of purchasing a home without a real estate agent, you may also consider the potential risks beforehand. 

You are responsible for your own negotiations.

Negotiation is an important aspect of the homebuying process. Without a real estate agent in your corner as a buyer, you are fully responsible for your own negotiations. Experienced real estate agents will have a better understanding of the negotiation process, and this process can be exceptionally difficult to navigate without context. When you have a real estate agent working for you, you can rely on both their knowledge and experience to negotiate for the best deal possible.

You are responsible for the paperwork.

The homebuying process requires a significant amount of paperwork along the way. An experienced agent can help to guide you through the documents that may require your signature. Your agent will also help you by answering any questions that you may have, providing you with peace of mind that everything is running smoothly. 

You are responsible for inspections.

When you choose to buy without a real estate agent, you must independently determine which types of inspections to select based on the needs of the home. The majority of buyers today are unsure of how to spot potential problems within a home, such as mold and structural issues.

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Are you looking to buy a home in the near future? The process of buying a home is long, with many steps along the way. Also, there are many common misconceptions about buying a home that trips up buyers every single year. With this, the more you understand about the home buying process going into it, the smoother of a process you should expect it should be. Continue reading and discover a few crucial points to understand about buying a home. 

An agent makes the process easier

It is incredibly beneficial to have a reputable real estate in your corner when purchasing a home. An experienced real estate agent should be able to guide through you the entire home buying process, such as schedule home inspections and showings. They are also there to answer any of your questions. Many homebuyers are hesitant to hire a real estate agent because they do not think it is worth the investment. 

You may not need to put 20% down

Did you know that you don’t necessarily need to put down 20 percent down to buy a home? Many people are under the misconception that you shouldn’t even consider making an offer on a home. Today, people make lower down payments all the time. They are not necessarily bad and can allow people to purchase who would otherwise be unable to make the downpayment.

Budget for closing costs

Many first-time homebuyers do not factor in closing costs when they set their initial housing budget. In some cases, closing costs can put a home out of a buyer’s price range. In most cases, closing costs will run you 2 to 5 percent on the loan amount. 

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How does a real estate business stand out online from the competition online? In a competitive industry like real estate, a strong digital presence is a must. There are all sorts of steps you can take to increase your online discoverability. With this, continue reading and discover a few strategies for boosting your digital presence. 

Optimize your website

Your website speaks volumes about your business. People will make assumptions about you when they stumble on your website online. Your website should be a place where a prospective buyer can learn about you as an agent. It is astonishing how many real estate agents do not even have a website in 2019. If you haven’t already, now is the time to optimize your website by using SEO best practices. It is imperative that it loads quickly and that it is mobile-friendly. 

Be active on social media 

A strong social media presence will help you grow your real estate business. Social channels are excellent platforms for promoting your content. Be sure that you are posting visual elements such as pictures and videos to catch people’s attention when they are scrolling through their newsfeeds. In addition to posting content online, social media will allow you to connect with prospective clients and spread awareness about your business.

Use email marketing

Email marketing continues to be an excellent way to create brand awareness online. A strong email marketing campaign will help you gain new clients. It is beneficial to segment your subscriber lists, so you are sending the right information to the right people.

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Video marketing continues to grow in popularity in the real estate industry. This is because consumers love watching videos, and this trend does not appear to be losing any steam. Video marketing is an excellent way to direct traffic to your website. If your real estate business wants to take advantage of video marketing, here are a few examples of topic ideas that you can use to grow your business.

Highlight an area 

People appreciate video tours. In many cases, homebuyers want to see a particular area; however, they do not always have the time to go see it in person. This is where video tours come in real handy. If you want to encourage homebuyers to check out a particular area, neighborhood videos are a great option. They are also helpful because they will drive organic traffic to your website because homebuyers are prone to search for specific locations in search engines. It is also worth mentioning that neighborhood tours do not require narration from you. A compilation of high-quality visuals will go a long way when crafting a neighborhood tour. 

Business profiles 

There is no reason why you can’t collaborate with others within the real estate industry. With this, consider doing video collaborations with other real estate leaders in your areas. Doing so will help you get in front of a broader audience and probably provide you more incite on an area as well. 

Market updates

Real estate markets are always changing from year to year. Both homebuyers and sellers are curious about current market conditions because it directly affects them. If you are ever in need of video content, consider creating a brief video in which you update your audiences on the current real estate market in an area.

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