AMN is real funny isn't she!!! This is the military...if they wanted you to have a house or a spouse, they would have issued it with your dog tags and duffle bag!!! LOL!

Greta, hire the first guy. You know you will...so stop stressing and just do it!

You didn't answer me about those pictures...I think the one with Laurel dancing in her PJs with the bottle of Guinness is an especially good one...don't you? Shows that the kitchen is great for parties!!! LOL!..



good thing she doesn't read this board...I'd be dead!!

Ah yes, but the first guy has the least amount of experience. Ack!!!

Ummm, no. Pics of you and Laurel dancing in my kitchen are about as appealing as the ones of my dogs that he used in his presentation!....

greta, it isn't your realtor that will sell your house. he/she usually won't even show it. 99% of them won't represent the client and the buyer. so it is really how your house is marketed. if they take pictures you don't like...make them take over and over.

what to look for is the company they work for. do they run newspaper ads? if so, when and how often will YOUR house be listed. does the realtor place their own ads in the home for sale magazines. when will your house be listed. most times they have already submitted the homes 30 -60 days in advance.

does the realtor have their own web page? how many home sales web sites will they post your house? are they willing to place "unconventional " ads in places like craiglist?

do they make cd's for people to take?

how often can you have an open house? can you hold your own? if so and you find a a buyer...how much will they cut their commission.

commission structure IS negotiable.

do take down your personal pictures. box them all up and take them out of the house. pediphiles target homes where they see pictures of kids of online. also, do not let pictures of the kids rooms be used online.

all meds even otc need to be in a box that you take with you when you leave.

if you have a lock box on the door and you are not home when the booking company calls, they will come right in. you may not get any notice. i had them walk in and NEVER call.

i have more...can you tell i went through this?

Curious- obviously you don't have monkey brains! Excellent advice.

No kiddos so we're ok, just three dog monsters. Based on what you said, I know exactly which realtor to choose. The big one. She advertises everywhere in print and online (too many places to count), sending flyers to other agents, and flyers on the sign in the yard. She said that she never knows where her buyers will come from so she has to cover it all. She blows away everyone else and she does seem like a marketing genius. Not terrifically personable, but I don't want a friend - I want a shark. Now I just have to convince DH. He just doesn't like her. It's a personal thing - not an issue of capability.

I guess I knew this already, I just kinda wanted to be able to use one of my neighbors. I think they'd do a great job too. Very motivated since they want more neighborhood listings, but they're both in a much different class than the big agent with the team to assist her.

None of the agents are proponents of open houses (except for one) indicating that they rarely bring in clients who want to buy, but were great tools for getting new clients who want them to list their homes.

One bonus to using the big agent is that someone always answers the phone so if they call me to let me know (and they tell me that people are actually making appointments now!) I'll know someone's on the way. I'm not fond of the thought of walking out of the shower to a family ogling my house! My cell phone will be my new best friend. Odd for me since most of the time it's uncharged...

Thanks for the insight. We'll have a decision this weekend. I think when I write it out with pros and cons - it'll be easier to handle.

we talked to a friend/neighbor too. but advice i got made the choice for me.

people who know you or the neighborhood on a personal level might just say something they shouldn't.

you can have agent open houses. not ones for people just driving around looking for decorating ideas.

dont worry about your husband or you liking her or not. it's if other agents and her BUYers like her. yeppers...go with the shark.