The realtor you pick to help you sell your home can be a deciding factor in lots of things, namely the money that you pocket on the sale, how quickly/slowly it sells and the overall home selling experience.

However, sellers have to rely on the number of properties that the company has sold and their online review. These are the only two data points available at large for them to make the choice.

No wonder these two points are quite crucial, but they can be deceiving. Why you ask? That's because reviews and experiences do not guarantee that the company or their agents will have your best interests when selling the house.

In this article we list down some steps to choose a realtor for selling and provide information on some real estate websites based on their reviews. These include Clever real estate reviews and Houzeo reviews.

Steps to follow when picking a realtor

You can easily look up the internet to look for realtors and their agents. However, you can ensure that you are picking up the right realtor.

Real estate companies outperform others by measurable factors like:

• High sales volume in your price range
• Lower than average days on the market
• Top-rated reviews by clients

Once you have narrowed down a few companies, look at their website, reviews, social media, listings, packages and more to check how they market themselves professionally.

Their online presence can also give you a peak into what is their current technology stack.

There are many real estate websites like Houzeo and Clever real estate that offer great services at different price bands.

Clever real estate reviews from clients are mostly positive. It has an average rating of 4.9 of 1,512 reviews. It is a free agent-matching service aimed at helping people save money when selling/buying home. It charges a listing fee of $3,000 or 1%.

One of the Clever real estate reviews mention that working with the company saved it more than $10,000 at closing.

Positive Clever real estate reviews appreciate the best-in-class service from its agents.

Houzeo is another great real estate website which is using its proprietary tech to simplify the real estate transaction experience. Its technologically advanced website helps For Sale By Owner (FSBO) sellers to easily list their properties on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for a flat fee.

Houzeo reviews mention how easy it is to list through the company and quick to make changes, thereby helping sellers to focus on the most important part i.e. the sale.

Some Houzeo reviews also appreciate the company's 5-star customer service. The company has a customer rating of 4.9 on major review platforms like Trustpilot and Google.

This way, by looking at the company websites and their reviews, you can narrow down your choice.

In a 2021 survey, 68% of the sellers found their realtor and the agent through referrals by friends and family. Another 53% continued with the agent they had worked with earlier.

The ideal way of ruling out shady companies and agents is to look at the red flags from the very start. Keep you eyes open for the below signs:

• Limited experience and low results
• Bad reviews
• Too pushy
• Limited knowledge of your area
• Misleading information
• Hidden fees
• Agents are too eager to please
• Agents are shaky negotiators
• Non-transparent processes

Before picking up a realtor or interviewing agents decide what do you really want from them. Ask yourself questions. Do you want an agent in the mix who could take care of the entire sale process, or you prefer to be more hands-on and sell as an FSBO?

If selling a home quickly is more important to you than the price you get, then selling to iBuyers could be an option for you.

Being clear with yourself is more important.

If you see an open house in your neighborhood, use it as an opportunity to walk in and talk to the agent. Are they professional? Do they sound reasonable? How do they make you feel as a potential buyer? Are they well-versed with the house they are selling?

If you are opting to go with a real estate agent then the ideal way is to speak to them in person. It is only through a one-on-one interaction that you can understand important qualities like friendliness, honesty, chemistry and ease of communication.

Also, ensure that your agent has an active real estate license from your state of residence.

Now that you have researched enough about the realtors and their agents, pick the one that suits your bill and make the sale.