What to Look for in Listing Agent as a Physician

When you’re looking to sell a property, you need a listing agent to put up your property on multiple listing sites (MLS).

Unfortunately, not all listing agents are the same, and you need to find one who understands what to do to get the target price you’re aiming for.

How do you find a real estate agent who can work with you in your interest and help you get listed? We’ve covered that and more in this article.

What to Look for in a Listing Agent as a Physician

Here are six important aspects to consider when looking for a listing agent:

1. Experience With Physicians

As a physician, you have an unpredictable schedule, long hours, and very limited availability—especially if you’re moving to another state to practice medicine.

This means your seller’s agent may have to accommodate odd hours, provide updates around your schedule, and coordinate showings when you can be present yourself.

A listing agent with experience working with physicians will understand your needs beforehand.

This way, they can get your listing up and running without disrupting your schedule.

2. Local Area Expertise

An agent cannot operate in your best interest if they aren’t familiar with the market trends in your area—or better yet, recently sold property.

If your listing agent is knowledgeable about buyer preferences and property values, they’ll be able to price your home competitively and market it to the right people.

3. Similar Property Recently Sold in the Area

How your agent’s listings did in the past can give you an idea of how well yours would perform in the future.

If an agent has sold million-dollar homes or commercial property within three days of opening at the price the buyer wanted or higher, you may want to choose that agent if you’re selling something similar.

The pattern of recent sales will also give you an idea of the agent’s connections, negotiation skills, and marketing style.

4. Communication Style Compatible to Yours

When you’re selling a home, communication is one of the most important things.

If your agent doesn’t understand you, you won’t be able to communicate your requirements to them. This means you may not get the property price you want.

Therefore, look for these qualities in your agent:

• Your agent listens to your goals, pays attention, and doesn’t waste your time.
• They are honest. If there are changes you could make to improve your selling price, they’ll let you know. For example, if you’re thinking of taking out a home repair loan to get your kitchen remodeled for $60k to improve your selling price, they can tell you if it’s worth it or not.
• They communicate changes and requirements as soon as possible. If your real estate professional needs something from you or wants to let you know about buyer demands, they’ll reach out quickly. This helps them speed up the real estate transaction.

5. Responsiveness

Communication is about knowing resources, answering questions properly and completely, and adapting to different personalities as needed.

We’ve singled out responsiveness because many physicians overlook it as an important factor.

As a physician, you need a listing agent who responds quickly to your questions, requests, or changes. This goes double when you’re in a stressful situation—like getting medical licensure in another state or getting a physician’s loan.

If they don’t, you lose your time, so look for an agent who:

• Responds within 12-24 hours after your call/message
• Lets you know that they’ve received your message
• Answers questions as soon as possible

6. Access to Experts

Houses sell quickly if they’re well-advertised.

If your listing agent has area expertise, they’ll also have contacts like home stagers, professional photographers, HVAC contractors, roofers, and other contractors.

This way, you won’t have to find and test people on your own. Plus, you’ll be able to make any repairs or changes you need as quickly as possible and at good rates.

Mistakes to Avoid When Working With a Listing Agent

We’ve covered what to look for in a listing agent. Now, let’s talk about the mistakes you need to avoid when working with one:

1. Choosing Based on the Lowest Commission

The average listing agent commission is 0.5% to 3%.

While it might be tempting to pick an agent with the lowest fee, this could backfire if they lack experience and marketing skills, promise more than they can deliver, and don’t have a network of prospective buyers.

All of this could mean your home sits on the market longer or sells for less than it’s worth.

Always value experience more than commission when choosing a listing agent.

2. Not Setting Expectations

Always be clear about what you expect from your agent—how often you want updates, your preferred communication channels, and specific priorities like selling your property quickly or selling for profit.

If you skip this, you might be disappointed with your listing agent. This might also create friction during the selling process.

3. Going With Any Agent

Not all agents are the same, and hiring the first one you come across—or one recommended without doing your homework—can be a mistake.

Instead, take your time to research their credentials, read reviews, and interview a few agents to find out your preference.

4. Letting Communication Mishaps Go

If your agent misses calls, forgets to update you about important things, or seems disorganized, you need to address it.

Lack of communication causes delays and misunderstandings, which will hurt your listing.

Always speak up if you find something dissatisfying.

5. Ignoring Your Agent’s Advice

Your agent is a real estate expert, so they’ll likely provide advice about improving your home so it sells better.

While you don’t have to take all the recommendations, you should consider things that align with your goals.

For instance, if you want to sell your home at a high profit and your agent is telling you to upgrade the basement bathroom, add a new light fixture in the dining room, and make the kitchen not look like it’s from the ‘90s, you might want to make those changes.

Let Physicians Thrive Help You Find the Listing Agent You Need

Selling a home requires a lot of moving parts—you have to make repairs, get an inspection done, fix your listing price, market your listing, and deal with the buyer’s agent.

A listing agent takes all of these responsibilities off your shoulders, which is helpful if you’re a busy physician with little time to spare.

But not all listing agents are the same, and you need to find one who works with you instead of for you. This is where we come in.

At Physicians Thrive, we offer a wide variety of real estate services for physicians.

We help physicians connect with experienced listing agents who help you understand what you can improve to sell your house for more.

Our team always starts by talking about your financial and career goals, so we’re on the same page.

Ready to learn how we can help you with selling your home? Give our advisors a call today!