You can pull up a home value estimate, school ratings, a payment calculator and every active listing on your phone in five minutes. So what are you paying a Realtor for?

That question came up on the Randal Jenkins Real Estate Hour when we talked about AI and what it’s changing in real estate. My answer: you’re not paying for information anymore. Information is free. You’re paying for judgment.

Information is free. Judgment is not.

Travel agents used to control access to airline schedules. Stockbrokers used to control access to trades. Realtors used to control access to listings. The internet ended all three.

AI can now write a listing description, pull comparable sales, answer common questions, schedule showings and summarize an inspection report. It’s useful, and good agents use it.

Here’s what it can’t do. It can’t read the room in a tense negotiation. It can’t talk a hesitant seller into pricing realistically. It can’t keep a buyer steady in a multiple-offer situation. It won’t tell a buyer to walk away when walking away is the right call.

That’s the work you’re hiring. Nobody pays a commission because someone opened a door. You pay because you expect to net more, lose less, reduce risk, save time and avoid expensive mistakes.

Ask this question

If you’re interviewing agents to sell your home, ask each one: “What do you do different or better than other Realtors?”

Then listen closely.

If the answer is “I give great service,” “I really care about my clients” or “I’ve been doing this a long time,” you’ve learned nothing. Every agent says that.

If the answer is “I’ll put it in the MLS and it’ll go out to Zillow,” technology already does that.

A good answer is specific. It sounds like a list of things the agent actually does. When a seller asks me, I go down mine. A few of the items:

• A premium spot on Realtor.com, plus retargeting ads that follow people who clicked on the listing
• A 3D Matterport tour, QR codes on the sign and a lighted sign
• MLS remarks written with the keywords buyers search for, including features Zillow doesn’t let them filter on
• A marketing group of agents from other companies who also promote my listings
• An info tube with paperwork so drive-by buyers can grab the details
• A pre-listing inspection when it makes sense
• Disclosing other offers to buyers’ agents, which in my experience brings in stronger offers

You don’t have to want every item on that list. The point is that the agent should be able to tell you exactly what they’ll do for your home and why it matters.

Check their footprint before you call

Most people size up an agent online long before they pick up the phone. Use that.

Look at their social media and website. If all you find is holiday graphics, motivational quotes and a “just listed” post now and then, you still don’t know whether they know what they’re doing.

If you find market explanations, neighborhood updates, inspection lessons and closing stories, you’re seeing how they think before you ever meet them.

Read their reviews, too. Testimonials are the clients talking, not the agent.

The takeaway

Any agent can promise effort. The one worth hiring can tell you what they do differently and explain how it gets you a better result.

Thinking about selling and want to hear the full list? Call or text me at 727-409-4663. No pressure. Straight answers.

Watch the full episode: Randal Jenkins Real Estate Hour on YouTube

Randal Jenkins
Broker-Owner, Florida Real Estate Partners
Loan Officer, American Mortgage Services, NMLS #2053417
727-409-4663 (409-HOME)