BEFORE you hire a Realtor... ask these questions!

Do I have to disclose that I'm a grocery clerk by day and real estate agent by night and weekends? lol

Very good questions, Sandi.

Thanks, TODD:  I think we have some things to talk about!  Up until last July, I also put my time (only 17 years!) in as a clerk  :)  It was a very tricky situation indeed.  I found that 90% of the time, honesty was the best policy, although there were a handful of people that didn't "approve."  More often than not, I found people respecting the fact that I am a very dedicated, with very strong work ethics.  Their needs were taken care of, so my working at Safeway wasn't an issue.

LOUIS:  The answer to both of your questions is YES!  I think these are good questions to ask when you are interviewing realtors.  For most people, their investment in a home is the largest and most important one they will make in their lifetime.  Although a lot of people don't ask the important questions, I firmly believe they should!  As a consumer you should know how adept your prospective realtor is at his/her job BEFORE you hire them to represent you. 

I have had a couple of listing interviews where the clients asked one or more of the questions above.  As a result of the interviews, we gained a mutual respect!  I think I was impressed that they were doing such an excellent job finding a competent realtor to represent them, and they were satisfied enough with my answers to hire me after interviewing several other parties.

PAUL:  You bring up several good points!  I agree that a lot of consumers, given the answers to the questions above, wouldn't quite know what to do with the information.  I often incorporate the sheet above into my listing presentation, thereby presenting an opportunity for the sellers to LEARN why the questions are so important.   The questions are conversation starters.   When answering the questions, I can expound on WHY it's a good thing to have a large percentage of business coming from referrals.  A.  People are happy with the job I did for them, and readily recommend me to assist their loved ones and close friends.  There IS no better testimonial than to have someone entrust their mother or best friend to your professional care.  B.  A Realtor with a lot of referrals is out there in the trenches of the market, not spending tons of time LOOKING for work.  It comes down to experience.

I completely agree that how MUCH you sell has nothing to do with how HAPPY your clients are.  I wouldn't suggest anyone hire a Realtor based solely on ONE of the above questions.  On the other hand, an agents numbers are a good indicator of how successful they are.  If you had to have a heart transplant, would you hire the doctor who makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, but has never before performed that surgery?  Or, would you continue looking until you found a doctor with a good track record of successful transplants, AND makes you feel comfortable?  I think it's important for people to ask outright what an agent has accomplished, rather than hire someone because they see their face in the magazine every month, and assume they must be good at their job!