Summer 2014 is shaping up to be one of the most active in many years. Sales volume is up, prices are up and buyer activity is high. I'm getting calls every week from people who are looking to hire me to sell their home. About 50% of the people who call me have added me to there short list of Realtors to interview for the job of listing and marketing there home. 100% of the time I get asked about my commission rate and why should they pay me X amount if another Realtor can do it for $6000 less.

I suggest the most important questions you should be asking potential Realtors are: What is your marketing strategy to get exposure to my home, What have you sold recently and at what price. Is the realtor consistently setting new price highs or are they near the bottom vs other comparables. The most important question to ask is how much at the end of the day are you going to net from the sale. Saving $6000 in commission makes no sense if you`re leaving $25,000 on the table from your final selling price.