Page 5 - Cathy's Real Estate Guide

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
TO ASK BEFORE HIRING AN AGENT
1. How long have you been selling real estate?
Cathy started selling New Homes in 2000 for a custom builder in King Farm in Rockville, MD. A year into her career, she switched to general brokerage since she felt she brought more value as a consumer advocate. She could provide her wealth of knowledge to guide clients to their best decisions and demonstrate in many ways how they could save money every step of the way.
2. What are your qualifications?
Cathy’s credentials are shown on the previous pages. She is a Certified Professional Stager & Re-Designer, a Certified Color Expert and a handful of other designations earned by the National Association of Realtors®. Cathy is a Graduate of the Realtors® Institute which is required to be- come a Broker.
3. Where do you get your current business? Can you prove this?
Cathy gets referrals from past clients, repeat business, sphere of influence, open houses, organic Facebook marketing, paid Facebook marketing, and more recently website traffic. Proving it is as simple as opening her laptop.
4. Can you give me a list of client references?
Cathy has many references from clients as you can see online. Also she can provide references from contractors, inspectors, agents, mortgage brokers, title companies who can attest to her professionalism and tenacity in providing the highest level of service to her clients, always look- ing for ways to save their hard-earned money. Let Cathy know how many you would like.
5. Do you have a formal marketing plan?
That’s the whole point of this guide! If your agent doesn’t already have a world-class website and a formal written marketing plan to sell your house, do you think they’ll start now? Cathy’s marketing plans are customized for each client to fit their needs and budget.
6. Can you show examples where you succeeded when other agents did not?
Absolutely, in fact there are several throughout this guide and in the testimonials. Cathy and other affiliates have a proven track record with seller’s listings AND a proven track record with winning in multiple offer scenarios for our buyer clients.
7. What areas and types of deals do you specialize in?
Cathy’s areas of expertise are Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, and Washington counties al- though she will go outside these areas for listings since she has such an impressive track record of 10 days on the market to contract for her staged listings. She specializes in New Construction, Re-Design/Rehabs and Staging properties.
8. What happens if I want to fire you? How many times have you been fired?
Simply pick up the phone and call Cathy. In the 20 years Cathy has been in business, a client cancelled their agency agreement with her in her first year in the business because the buyer thought she should have known about polybutylene piping so she could warn them against the property before spending money on inspections. She fired two sellers in the past twenty years who were unwilling to follow legal protocol.
Meet Cathy 3