I wanted to let you know that since I’ve been in the mortgage business, I have worked with many real estate agents and observed how they conduct their business.

There are no bad agents — but some are better than others.

The other day, a friend of mine was thinking of listing his home for sale and asked me what he should look for in a good listing agent when it came time to put his home on the market. So, I interviewed a couple of agents and here’s the list that I came up with:

A great listing agent will…

• Create a marketing plan that involves more than just the MLS
• Explain the marketing strategies and the reasons why they are being used
• Give advice on preparing your home: cleaning, staging, repairs, landscaping
• Take photos of the very best features of your home and review them with you ahead of time
• Write a thoughtful and thorough description of your home
• Make sure the major benefits are outlined for potential home buyers
• Create a high-quality brochure on high-quality paper
• Explain the listing and sales contract, disclosures and other legal matters in selling your home
• Communicate with you on a regular basis — even if there is nothing to report
• Focus on you, and not the commission.

If you are planning to sell your home, please contact me because I can refer some great listings agents for you to interview.