How to effectively communicate with your realtor throughout the home selling process
Selling a home can be a stressful journey, but effective communication with your realtor can make a world of difference. Insights from business owners and industry professionals provide a wealth of knowledge to guide you through this process. The article kicks off with the importance of being proactive with communication and wraps up with the necessity of establishing a group chat for seamless communication. With nine expert tips, this blog post ensures you have all the strategies needed for a successful home sale.
- Be Proactive with Communication
- Disclose All Property Details
- Set Clear Expectations in Writing
- Use Technology for Real-Time Updates
- Maintain Positive Realtor Relationship
- Regularly Check In for Updates
- Designate a Point Person
- Use Visual-Communication Tools
- Establish a Group Chat for Communication
Be Proactive with Communication
Good communication with your agent is essential while selling your house. They are, after all, your primary point of contact and are in charge of helping you close the deal. The entire process might become stressful and confusing if there isn’t clear, constant communication. I can attest to the value of keeping open lines of communication with my agent throughout the entire process because I recently sold my house.
Being proactive is one way to communicate with your realtor during the selling process. Make sure you and your realtor have a good communication channel from the beginning. This entails stating your favored means of contact, be it text, email, or phone calls. By establishing this expectation up front, you can make sure that your realtor knows how to get in touch with you.
But being proactive is more than just establishing guidelines for communication. It also entails being the one to initiate contact with your realtor as needed. If you have any questions or concerns, especially, don’t wait for them to get in touch with you. You can steer clear of any possible misconceptions or miscommunications by taking the initiative.
Additionally crucial to the selling process is keeping lines of communication open and transparent with your realtor. This entails promptly giving them access to any required information, such as repair invoices or house-maintenance records. It also entails being open and truthful about your worries, expectations, and any modifications to your original intentions.
Setting up routine check-ins with your realtor is, in my experience, one way to make sure that everyone is on the same page. This can be accomplished by holding weekly meetings or phone conversations where you can talk about any developments or modifications to the marketing procedure. This keeps the lines of communication open and enables you to address any problems or inquiries that could come up.
Furthermore, if there is anything you don’t understand, don’t be hesitant to ask for clarification or additional explanation. It is your realtor’s responsibility to ensure that you comprehend every step of the process, as they are there to help you through it.
Ultimately, the key to selling your house quickly is having good communication with your realtor. You can guarantee a seamless and stress-free selling experience by taking the initiative, being explicit with expectations, and keeping lines of communication open.
Sebastian Jania, Owner, Manitoba Property Buyers
Disclose All Property Details
If you have ever heard the phrase “Don’t ever lie to your lawyer; they’ll find out eventually,” then you know exactly how to approach communicating with your realtor. Treat them as you would your lawyer—be completely upfront and disclose even the smallest details about your property. This means sharing any updates or changes proactively, no matter how minor they may seem.
For example, if you’ve recently fixed a leaky faucet, updated a fixture, or noticed a small crack in the foundation, let your realtor know right away. Being open and transparent ensures they have the full picture, allowing them to market the property accurately and handle any potential issues before they become bigger problems. Clear communication like this builds trust, keeps both parties aligned, and ultimately leads to a smoother selling process.
Robin Cherian, CEO, The Canadian Home
Set Clear Expectations in Writing
To effectively communicate with realtors, I set clear expectations upfront in writing. For each property, I determine their needs and timeline, then provide an accurate estimate and schedule in writing before starting any work.
I check in regularly by phone to avoid surprises and ensure we’re on track. If changes come up, I let the realtor know immediately, so they can adjust accordingly. Realtors appreciate this transparency and professionalism.
One client needed their retail space renovated to attract buyers. By walking through the property together, we identified their must-haves and developed a phased approach to complete the work within their tight timeline. Through frequent updates, they knew the status at every step, resulting in a successful sale.
Open communication builds trust and repeat business. Taking the time to fully understand needs, tailor solutions, and maintain open contact leads to the most effective partnerships with realtors.
Joe Stance, Owner, Stance Commercial Real Estate
Use Technology for Real-Time Updates
When I chose to sell my home, I realized that open communication with my realtor would be essential. To promote openness, I planned an initial meeting to discuss my expectations, the selling process, and how we’d communicate. This first step established the tone for our work, ensuring that we were on the same page from the start.
In this digital era, technology has empowered us to stay connected and efficient. I suggested using a shared platform like Trello or Google Docs to track our progress, discuss updates, and mark important deadlines. This real-time visibility not only kept us organized but also empowered us to always be in the know about our work.
To keep the channels of communication open, I scheduled weekly video calls. This enabled us to address any concerns, examine comments from prospective purchasers, and adapt our approach as needed. These talks were more than simply updates; they also allowed me to express my worries and ask questions, which helped establish trust and rapport.
Johnny Austin, Owner, Sell My House Now LLC
Maintain Positive Realtor Relationship
A positive relationship with your realtor is crucial for open, honest communication. Building trust and rapport allows for more productive conversations where both parties feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Remember that your realtor is working hard to sell your property, so showing appreciation and being respectful goes a long way in maintaining a positive relationship.
Shannon Beatty, Founder & CEO, House Buying Girls
Regularly Check In for Updates
It’s important to regularly check in with your realtor throughout the selling process. This can be as simple as sending a quick email or text message asking for updates or expressing any new concerns. Maintaining regular communication will ensure that everyone is on the same page, and any potential issues can be addressed in a timely manner. Additionally, it’s important to be clear and concise in your communication with your realtor. This means clearly stating your expectations, asking any necessary questions, and being transparent about any changes in the selling process.
To further ensure effective communication, it’s also helpful to have regular check-ins or meetings scheduled throughout the selling process. This could be weekly or bi-weekly meetings to discuss any updates, feedback from potential buyers, and next steps. These meetings not only keep everyone on the same page but also provide an opportunity for open and honest communication about the progress of the sale.
Krixelle Sant, Founder & CEO, Sell My House Fast For Cash
Designate a Point Person
When buying a property with another person, such as a spouse or partner, I recommend designating a point person to communicate with your realtor. Of course, we value input from all involved parties, but sometimes we are put in awkward positions when both clients disagree on certain issues, and we get caught in the middle of it. I have had situations where I felt more like a marriage counselor than a realtor.
Robert Washington, Founder & Broker, Savvy Buyers Realty
Use Visual-Communication Tools
One insider tip I can share from experience for keeping the communication channels with your realtor open and flowing is to leverage visual-communication tools. For example, let’s say you’re talking about what you can do to a house and what you might need to do before you sell it, or about staging ideas. If you can mark up what you are talking about right then and there, you literally will be able to see eye-to-eye. You no longer have to describe, and then try to guess if they are comprehending you. You actually can see if you are on the same page.
In my experience, especially with larger projects that require more details—say, for custom exteriors or specialized flooring—one might set up a dedicated Slack channel (or a similar system) for the entire duration of the selling process. In real-time, any updates, quick questions, or even pictures of progress can be shared. A line of communication will remain open for all of the various parties involved, reducing lag time and misunderstandings, keeping the realtor updated on any physical changes to the property, and keeping them actively engaged in the process in a way that can help to make it a better experience all around.
Tyler Hull, Owner and General Manager, Modern Exterior
Establish a Group Chat for Communication
Establish a clear channel of communication and maintain it is my advice. Despite its seeming simplicity, this is something that is frequently forgotten in the confusion that surrounds selling a house. Keeping up with several forms of communication, such as emails, texts, and phone calls, may get difficult when there are several parties involved, like the buyer, seller, and broker.
With my realtor, I set up a group chat so that we could all talk and keep each other informed about the sale’s status. The requirement for continual back-and-forth contact across several platforms was removed by this group chat. Everyone involved was always in agreement, and communication was quick and simple.
Furthermore, by using a group chat, it was ensured that no crucial information was overlooked or forgotten. For example, my realtor may message me in the group chat if they needed certain documents from me, and I would get notified whether or not I checked my phone or emails. In this manner, I could reply right away and prevent any procedure delays.
Additionally, having a group chat encouraged accountability and transparency. It was simpler to keep track of who was in charge of each task and make sure that everyone was in agreement when all participants were involved in the conversation.
Group talks also made it possible to make decisions quickly. Decisions could be made and carried out in real-time through the group chat rather than waiting for individual responses via phone calls or emails. This prevented needless delays in the project’s progress and saved a substantial amount of time.
Group conversations also enabled me to get to know my teammates better and foster a more cooperative working relationship. In the group chat, through lighthearted discussions and humor, we were able to improve our working dynamic and establish a rapport. Effective teamwork and communication were facilitated by this.
In general, I discovered that utilizing a group chat was a very helpful project management tool. It promoted accountability and openness, enhanced communication, allowed swift decision-making, and fostered a supportive team environment. For good collaboration, I would strongly advise integrating group chats into project management procedures.
Grace Chisom, Real Estate Expert, Designer and Stager, British Columbia Property Buyers
