7 Critical Questions to Ask Before Hiring a REALTOR

BEFORE SIGNING ANYTHING

Did you know there were 4000 real estate agents in Austin 2010 and there are 14,000 today! So let’s get real, that means MOST realtors in Austin don’t have much experience. With this many agents in the business, it’s incredibly important to vet a potential listing agent before signing a listing agreement.

  1. How long have you been a full time agent?

    With 10,000 new agents in the business in the last 7 years alone, the odds are that an agent you talk to doesn’t have a ton of experience.Experience isn’t everything, but it’s the best indicator of whether or not an agent can perform. If they’ve been in the business for a long time, there’s a much better chance that REALTOR is competent.**

  2. How many seller transactions did you complete last year?

    Just because they have a real estate license, doesn’t mean they work that much.The average agent sells only 6 homes per year. It makes sense that most agents represent around 3 sellers per year. A “top producer” will sell around 20 homes per year, and usually around 1 seller transaction per month. However, the top 1% sell at least 50 homes per year. That volume, combined with years in the business, measures true experience.

  3. Can I see a list of references?

    There’s a reason that employers ask any candidate for references: They are a real world measurement of performance.

    When you’re choosing a listing agent to sell your home, think of yourself as an employer, and the listing agent as an interviewee. It’s a great idea to read reviews of any agent before even choosing whether or not to interview him/her.

  4. Do you require a long term contract?

    A common “nightmare” situation for a seller is a long term contract that an agent will NOT let you out of. If a seller wants to end a listing agreement for any reason, a bad agent will often say, “No, you signed this agreement, and we HAVE to list and sell your home until it ends.” A good agent will allow a seller to end the contract at any time, sometimes with reasonable reimbursement. This shows that the agent is confident in their abilities and will continue to prove their value.

  5. How long does it take you to sell homes & how much do you sell them for?

    The average time it takes an agent to sell a property, and the percentage of sold to list price are both objective measurements of an agent’s performance.) A good agent will know his/her statistics and will happily share them. While your pricing strategy will affect your time on market & list to sold percentage, a good agent will explain their averages & how your strategy will affect those numbers.

  6. Do you provide home staging & professional photography?

    Everyone starts their real estate search online & chooses which property they’ll view based on how good the pictures are. In order for your property to look great online, it has to be staged well & photographed by a professional. Some agents consider themselves adequate photographers and/or stagers, but this DIY attitude isn’t in your best interest. Make sure the agent you hire will bring in a true professional stager & photographer.

  7. How is the market in my area of town?

    Just as the real estate market differs in different cities, it can also be very different in different areas of Austin.

    It’s very easy for anyone to know how the overall market is in Austin by reading the news. A good real estate professional will know exactly how the market is performing in your area of town, and specifically in your neighborhood. Make sure any agent you’re interviewing has drilled the numbers down to your neighborhood, and sometimes even further!

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2300+ Client reviews!

Kevin Wilhelm is the best. I don’t know if we’ve ever had such attention paid to us and effort put out for any service we’ve ever had. It didn’t feel like a person trying to sell us a house. It felt like an old friend guiding us to a home. Kevin’s optimism was infectious, and weeks after settlement, he is still helping us to make the transition. We may be new to Texas, but we know we have at least one friend here.

I had a great experience with Kevin. This was my third home sale/purchase with him, and I’ve referred him to several friends over the years as well. Kevin is a top notch Realtor, and he gives me the information I need in order to make an informed decision. Kevin makes his recommendations but doesn’t flinch if I go a different direction, he has all the contacts when I need a referral, he negotiates hard on my behalf, he goes the extra mile and then another 10. I’ll keep recommending Kevin; he’s fantastic!

Kevin Wilhelm started out as my Realtor and ended up a friend. Kevin’s expertise, style, and work ethics are second to none in the Texas market. Kevin is the BEST! We LOVE our new home, Kevin! Thanks for all your help!

Kevin was an absolute pleasure to work with! He treated me with the utmost respect and honesty, and his integrity and reachability were impeccable. Most of all he made my buying process easy and non-stressful. I would even go on to say that over the course of the last 6 months, I have come to consider Kevin as a friend and not just my realtor. I would highly recommend working with Kevin!

Kevin Wilhelm is awesome! Toni and I feel extremely lucky to be able to work with Kevin. He is responsive, reliable, empathetic, and so passionate about his job. Kevin also shows such genuine care about exceeding the expectations of his clients.

Kevin was an exceptional help to us when we were looking for homes in Austin! He was honest, prompt, friendly, had an abundance of local knowledge, and provided us with excellent service. We would absolutely work with Kevin again and highly recommend him.

Kevin showed himself to be ethical, thoughtful, nonjudgmental, calm, respectful and knowledgeable. We repeatedly changed our criteria; Kevin was patient as those criteria moved from South Austin to West and Central Austin! We took a year-long break from the search. As soon as we determined, we did not have the appetite for the grueling task of building our own home, and that the sale of the lot was in our best interest, we knew who to contact. Kevin was ready to help us. He researched the market and suggested a price that more than satisfied us. Better yet, we had multiple offers, and a contract in less than a week and a closing in little more than two weeks! We will highly recommend Kevin Wilhelm to our friends and relatives, and complete strangers, and will continue to consult with him for our next Austin purchase.

Kevin was truly great throughout the whole process of buying and selling! He was recommended by my sister, Robin, who he helped when she bought her house, so there’s no higher recommendation than that, in my book, and he lived up to the billing. Kevin is a 10/10, and I would highly recommend him and would work with him again.

I absolutely can’t say enough about Kevin Wilhelm and how amazing he was in holding my hand throughout the entire home buying process. If you or anyone you know is in the market to buy or sell in Austin, please consider talking to Kevin. I’ve been around real estate agents my entire life (my mom has been in the business in San Antonio since I was a baby, and still is), and I’ve also bought and sold a home before I moved to Austin, so I feel I know a quality agent when I see it. Kevin was professional, knowledgeable about the Austin market and even helped me connect with the right mortgage company that was able to close my loan in 20 days! Again, whether you’re in the buyer or seller market now or will be in the future, I encourage you to consider using his services. He’s a rock star!

If you are looking for a Realtor that will give 200% to help you buy or sell a place and make a process that can be a very stressful one be a smooth journey, then Kevin Wilhelm is who you need. Within minutes of meeting Kevin, we knew he was the one to help us find our dream home. We immediately saw how knowledgeable he is about the market in the area we were interested in, so we knew we were in perfect hands. Kevin exceeded all of our expectations and guided us through this process, held our hand, and answered all of our many questions, all super promptly and super nicely. He was extremely punctual at every meeting and was an ultimate resource for us. We felt Kevin had our back and we were always cared for. He would even go to check up on the builder without us asking to, to make sure things were progressing properly and would have the tough conversations with them if things were of concern. We know our home buying process went so smoothly because of Kevin, so we would absolutely recommend that you look no further and have the best teammate to guide you through this process! You will be so happy working with him because Kevin’s amazing!

I can’t give you enough kudos about Kevin Wilhelm. We’ve had a long relationship and I consider him a good friend. He showed us many houses over many years. I’m sure he wanted to drop us as a client several times….in fact, I told him he could do that….but he stuck with us. And it worked out great for us all. We’re very happy with what we bought, and without Kevin’s help, we would not have even known about it. He’s a great guy and a terrific realtor. We will use him again and will recommend him to friends.

Kevin Wilhelm was absolutely the best real estate agent ever!!! I am sooooo pleased with my new home, it’s location, and price and this would not have been possible without Kevin Wilhelm’s professional expertise, his patience, and willingness to work hard for his client-me. I was 4 hrs away. However, Kevin kept me informed by reviewing properties and taking videos, answered all my questions, and helping me to make sound decisions. He was a superb negotiator!!!! And last but not least, he listened to my wants and needs and matched me up with a desirable property. Look no further than Kevin Wilhelm for the best real estate broker/agent in the business. Sincerely, a happy, satisfied, new home owner!!!!!!

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