--- title: Insider Tips to Selecting the Right Agent to Sell Your House - DeLeon Realty aliases: - Insider Tips to Selecting the Right Agent to Sell Your House - DeLeon Realty url: https://deleonrealty.com/2016/insider-tips-selecting-right-agent-sell-house/ page_path: /2016/insider-tips-selecting-right-agent-sell-house/ site: deleonrealty.com organization: DeLeon Realty date_archived: 2026-06-21 language: - en screenshot: screenshots/blog/2016-insider-tips-selecting-right-agent-sell-house.png tags: - DeLeonRealty - real-estate - bay-area - silicon-valley - news - blog - year/2016 --- # INSIDER TIPS TO SELECTING THE RIGHT AGENT TO SELL YOUR HOUSE > [!quote] > Choosing the right real estate agent to list your home is a big decision. Clients are often asked to enter into a long-term contract for the sale of their News Choosing the right real estate agent to list your home is a big decision. Clients are often asked to enter into a long-term contract for the sale of their single largest asset with few specifics and no guarantees. That said, there are some key questions to ask candidates to help you find the right real estate agent. Background, Experience and Statistics Experience matters. There are many moving parts to a listing, so it takes experience to get it right and anticipate issues or opportunities. An experienced agent will know how to prepare and market your property in a savvy manner, getting the best price possible. Plus, agents who handle a large number of listings each year often receive priority pricing and service from contractors and other professionals, resulting in a savings for the client. All Realtors® have ready access to statistics and data and should be able to provide prospective sellers with personal statistics, such as: • Number of homes sold in the area (ask for an MLS printout for the past 5 years) • Average price per square foot • Average days on the market • Average price above or below the initial list price House Preparation The ability to see a home’s potential and make cost-effective improvements is another benefit of listing with an experienced agent. With time and cost constraints in mind, an agent with a strong team and quality connections can give your property an advantage over listing with a less experienced agent. Asking for “before and after” pictures of homes and their vendor connections can help demonstrate an agent’s work firsthand. Will They Double-End? Under California law, the same individual agent is permitted to represent both the buyer and the seller on the same real estate transaction; in real estate parlance this is called “double-ending.” However, this can lead to conflicts of interest and the potential for significant financial damages to the client. Real estate attorneys are all too familiar with situations when doubleending listing agents violated their fiduciary duty to a client, either tempted by the lure of a double commission or an inability to anticipate complications. Although theoretically possible and certainly legal, it is difficult to imagine how an agent can zealously advocate for both clients while protecting confidential information. Thus, asking about an agent’s policy on doubleending is important and will enable the parties to enter the listing with their eyes wide open. At a recent panel, the manager from another real estate office proudly touted his office’s policy, which is that the listing agents must stop advising their clients and switch to the buyer side as soon as they know one of their buyers is going to submit an offer. Under this system, the manager then steps in to review the offers with the sellers and ![[assets/TeamCrop_2016_02.jpg]] ![[assets/k8m2KKxClOOXue85XYcQdA.png]] ![[assets/1.Extfront_1-4-scaled.jpeg]] ![[assets/2.1211-Fulton-St-3-scaled.jpeg]] ![[assets/2.Aerialside-scaled.jpeg]] ![[assets/6.Familyrm_2-scaled.jpeg]] --- **DeLeon Realty, Inc.** · Silicon Valley Luxury Real Estate 📞 650-543-8500 · DRE# 01903224 · https://deleonrealty.com --- ![[screenshots/blog/2016-insider-tips-selecting-right-agent-sell-house.png]]