Before you list your home in Chandler, ask your agent how they'll price it and to show you the comps, what the plan is if it doesn't sell in the first few weeks, who handles the negotiation after the inspection, what the sale will cost you on a net sheet, and what they personally do differently. In Arizona, also ask how long the listing agreement runs and how you can end it. Vague answers are information too.
Before you list your home in Chandler, AZ, ask your agent how they'll price it, what happens if it doesn't sell in 30 days, who handles the negotiation after inspection, and what they personally do differently from every other agent competing for your listing. If those answers feel vague, that's information too.
You're not hiring someone to put a sign in the yard. You're hiring the person who will speak for you during one of the largest financial decisions of your life. Here are the questions I'd want answered if I were the one selling.
"How did you land on this price?"
Any agent can hand you a number. Ask them to show you the comps, walk you through the adjustments for square footage, upgrades, lot position, and pool, and explain the math out loud. If they can't show their work, you're being asked to trust a guess.
Watch out for the agent who quotes the highest number in the room. A price set just to win the listing tends to come down later, after your home has already spent its best days on the market at the wrong number. More on that in Pricing your Arizona home with confidence.
"What's your plan if it doesn't sell in the first two to three weeks?"
A real plan sounds like: "we look at showing feedback, we look at what's competing against us, and here's what we adjust and when." A non answer sounds like "we'll drop the price." Price is a lever, not a strategy.
"Who handles things when the deal gets hard?"
Most of the real work in a home sale happens after you're already under contract, inspection negotiations, appraisal issues, financing hiccups. Ask specifically who's handling those conversations and whether they've saved a deal that looked dead before. I have, more than once, because walking away is the easy option and rare that that happens.
In Arizona, the buyer's repair requests come on the Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response, called the BINSR, and on the standard contract you have five days to answer it. Ask who will be writing that answer with you.
"What do you actually do differently?"
Every agent will tell you they communicate well and work hard. Ask for something specific. In my case, it's that I take responsibility when something goes wrong instead of deflecting it, and I bring a CPA's eye to the financial side of your deal, reading the numbers the way a lender or appraiser will read them, not just the way a seller hopes they'll read.
"What will this actually cost me?"
Get a real number, not a range. Commission, title fees, escrow fees, prorated taxes, HOA transfer costs, all of it, laid out before you sign anything, so your closing statement isn't the first time you see the full picture. This is called a net sheet so you know your numbers.
Ask about commission directly too. You're obligated for the commission written in your own listing agreement. If a buyer later asks you to pay some or all of their agent's compensation, that's a term in their offer, and it's negotiated like any other term.
"What happens to my home's marketing after the first week?"
A listing shouldn't go quiet after the initial push. Ask what ongoing marketing looks like, not just "it's on the MLS," but what happens to keep it in front of buyers and other agents.
Ask how feedback reaches you too. After every showing, the buyer's agent can leave comments, and those comments are worth more than any opinion in your kitchen. You want them passed along every week, good and bad, so you can make decisions with real information instead of guessing.
"What paperwork will I need from you?"
A good agent tells you this up front so nothing stalls once you're under contract. In Arizona you'll complete the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement, the SPDS, which asks what you know about the roof, plumbing, pool, past leaks, insurance claims and more. Ask your agent to walk through it with you before the listing goes live, not the night an offer comes in.
Gather the rest early too. HOA contact information, warranty papers, permits for any additions, pool or solar work, and if you have solar, the lease or loan paperwork. Leased solar has to be transferred to the buyer or paid off, and that takes time. An agent who asks for these on day one is an agent who's done this before.
"Who will I actually be talking to?"
Some agents run teams, and that can work well. But you should know before you sign who answers your call, who goes to the inspection, and who negotiates the BINSR. If the person sitting at your table today won't be the person on the phone during escrow, you deserve to know that now.
"How long is the listing agreement, and how do I get out of it?"
Listing agreements run for a set period. Ask how long, what happens if you're unhappy, and whether you can cancel. Get the answer in writing in the agreement itself, not as a promise in the kitchen.
Questions to ask yourself first
The best listing interviews start with your own answers. Where are you going next, and when do you need to be there? What's the least you can walk away with and still make the next move work? Are you willing to do repairs or updates before listing, or do you want to sell the home as it sits? How flexible is your move out date?
Write those answers down before your first interview. When you know your own numbers and your own timeline, it's much easier to tell which agent is listening to you and which one is reciting a presentation.
A quick checklist to take to your interviews
| Ask this | A good answer includes |
|---|---|
| How did you price it? | The actual comps, with adjustments explained |
| What if it doesn't sell? | A specific review plan with dates |
| Who negotiates after the inspection? | A name, and how the BINSR gets handled |
| What will it cost me? | A written net sheet |
| How long is the agreement? | The term and how it can be ended |
| What do you do differently? | Something specific you can verify |
The bottom line
You deserve a straight answer to every one of these questions before you ever sign a listing agreement. I'll give you one, and I'll show you the math behind it.
Take the first step toward clarity and protection, schedule a consultation with me today.
Questions, answered.
Should I interview more than one agent before listing?
Yes. You're not just hiring someone to put a sign in the yard, you're hiring an advocate for one of the largest financial decisions of your life. Ask hard questions and pay attention to how directly they're answered.
Is a lower commission always a better deal?
Not necessarily. What matters is net proceeds and how well the agent protects the deal from start to finish. A slightly lower commission with weaker negotiation on the back end can cost you more than it saves.
What's a red flag when interviewing a listing agent?
Vague answers to direct questions, pressure to sign immediately, or a price recommendation that sounds too good to be true without comps to back it up.
What is a net sheet?
A net sheet is an estimate of what you'll walk away with after the sale. It lists your loan payoff, commission, title and escrow fees, prorated taxes and HOA costs, so you know your numbers before you sign.
Can I cancel a listing agreement in Arizona?
It depends on the terms of the agreement you sign. Ask how long it runs and how it can be ended before you sign, and make sure the answer is written into the agreement.
What is the SPDS?
It's Arizona's Seller's Property Disclosure Statement, the form where you tell the buyer what you know about the home's condition and history. Fill it out honestly and completely, and ask your agent to go through it with you before you list.
Want to talk it through?
Bring me the specifics of your situation and I will tell you straight what I would do. No pitch, nothing to sign, and no obligation to work with me afterward.
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