Don’t Pick Door #1

For many homeowners in our community, the house they’re sitting in isn’t just an asset. It is decades of memories, a paid-off mortgage, and the place where the kids grew up before they moved out, then moved back in during a “gap year,” then finally moved out again. So, when the time comes to sell, whether to downsize, move closer to family, or transition into a retirement community, the decision deserves more care than a single phone call and a handshake.

I’ve worked in real estate in this area for over 20 years, first as an agent and as an Associate Broker, which is a fancier license plate but also means more training, more testing, and more paperwork than I care to admit. Along the way, I’ve earned several industry awards and advanced training designations, currently train newer agents coming into the business, while managing the top-producing real office in the county. I mention all this not to brag, but because as a Gen Xer, I was raised to be deeply suspicious of anyone who brags. You should be able to verify the person selling your house the way you’d check the Kelley Blue Book value before buying a used car. Don’t just take their word for it because they had a nice smile or were the first to call you back.

If there’s one piece of advice I give every homeowner, even the ones who never hire me, it’s this: don’t sign with the first agent you talk to. Interview at least two or maybe three before you commit to anyone. Ask to meet them in their office. A professional agent will welcome it and never ask you sign a listing contract the first time you meet them.

Why does all this matter after more after 55? Selling a home later in life is a different animal than a young couple’s first sale. There’s often more equity at stake, more tax considerations, and more emotional weight tied to the walls themselves. A rushed choice of agent can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in a lower sale price, unnecessary repairs, or a deal that collapses at the worst possible moment.

Some agents count on the fact that sellers who haven’t been through this in 20 or 30 years won’t know what to ask, or will assume every agent is basically interchangeable. We are NOT! Think of it less like picking a checkout line at the grocery store and more like picking a surgeon. You wouldn’t go with whoever answered the phone first.

What to ask when you interview an agent. Consider this your Showcase Showdown, except unlike “The Price Is Right,” you get to inspect all three doors before you decide, and nobody’s making you spin a giant wheel.

How many homes have you sold in this specific area the past year? Local knowledge is king here. An agent who knows your street, your school district, and your actual comparable sales will price and market your home more accurately than one working off a spreadsheet in another zip code.

What’s your marketing plan beyond the MLS? Ask to see real examples, like photography, staging, and how they actually reach buyers who are looking in your price range, not just a for-sale sign and a prayer.

How do you handle sellers with special circumstances? If you’re coordinating a move to assisted living, settling an estate, or timing a sale around a purchase elsewhere, ask how they’ve handled it before. Their answer tells you a lot.

Can I speak with two or three past clients? Any agent confident in their work will connect you happily. Ask those references how the agent communicated, whether promises were kept, and whether anything surprised them along the way.

What is your commission, and what does it actually include? Get it in writing. No surprises, no fine print you need a magnifying glass to read.

Are you an agent or a broker, and what advanced training or designations do you hold? Most sellers don’t know to ask this. An Associate Broker has completed extra education and licensing beyond a standard agent’s license, and advanced designations signal training that goes well beyond the bare minimum required to hang a license on the wall.

Trust is earned, not assumed. I get the instinct to just go with whoever your neighbor used and call it a day. That recommendation is a fine starting point. It just shouldn’t be the finish line. The agent who was perfect for your neighbor’s ranch house might not be the right fit for your split-level with the finished basement nobody’s used since the Reagan administration.

A trustworthy agent won’t flinch if you want to meet with others first. They should encourage it. Anyone who pressures you to sign on the spot, or seems more interested in the listing than in you, is showing you exactly how they’ll behave for the rest of the transaction and by then, it’s a lot harder to change the channel.

My standing invitation. Whether or not you ultimately choose to work with me, I’m happy to sit down, walk your home, and give you an honest, no-pressure read on the local market and what to expect. Sometimes that conversation confirms you’re ready. Sometimes it just gives you something to plan around.

Selling your home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll make. Take your time, ask good questions, and pick the agent who earns your trust, not just the one who happened to call back first.

If you’d like to talk it through, no obligation and no pressure (I promise, I’m not that guy), you can reach me at 989-321-9927.

On that note, if you’ve ever thought about a career in real estate but weren’t sure how to make it work alongside your current job, family, or dog-walking schedule, let’s talk. My office offers real training (not the sink-or-swim kind), genuine benefits, and a culture that actually respects the fact that most agents are building this career on top of another life, not instead of one. Nights, weekends, whatever fits, we’ll help you figure out a schedule that lets you grow into real estate at your own pace instead of burning out in your first year. If that sounds like something you want to explore, reach out. I’d love to talk.

Daniel Dwyer-Snyder is an Associate Broker with CENTURY 21 Signature Realty in Clare & Lake. He can be reached at 989-321-9927.