Unless there are concerns you didn't include in your post, Agent #1 is the way to go. Agent #2 seems lazy. Agent #3 is a dinosaur in today's real estate world without instant internet access, email, and a smart phone.

Kind of a "stacked" OP post!

It seems odd that an agent doesn't have a computer at home. Most here have smart phones so they have access wherever they are. I'd ditch #3. Staging is important and marketing is key. I'd make sure my home was staged to sell fast (lots of info on that on the web), and go with #1.

Would I hire a realtor without computer access at her home? Plain and simple - Absolutely not.

#1. Still in this case the agent should make a good case for an optimistic yet realistic listing price.

I was a staging skeptic until my agent paid a consultant for an hour of time to go room by room and make suggestions. The staging consultant could have provided full service including bringing in furniture and decorative items but we just followed her advice from the one session (I think we only had to buy a bed-in-a-bag and a few throw pillows, other than that it was moving around what we already had). Our agent also hired a professional photographer. And I cleaned the house beyond OCD standards and set out fresh flowers. These things in total were probably only a few hundred dollars but I am convinced they helped generate a sense of urgency among buyers...a lot of showings right after listing, high offers, and a quick sale. I declined to do the open house, I did not want anyone in my house other than serious buyers. Good luck!

You said agent #1 used to live in the area, but what about now? Is he so far out of the area that he's not considered a local? I would hire him without question but for one thing. The last house we sold we bought with a realtor who had been a friend of the family for decades and we were moving in from out of state. She helped my parents and sister buy and sell a number of houses, she was good and I trusted her completely, so we listed the house with her when I found another house we wanted to buy. She wasn't from our immediate area though and I couldn't believe it when other realtors weren't showing our house. The house wound up leasing and then was listed with a local agent and we got the local showings.

I can't tell you if that happens often, but if your area has a good ol' boy club or clique among realtors, it might not be a good idea to use someone from outside the area - especially if you are looking at something you will need to act on fast. If he's also in the area, but perhaps more of a buyer's agent than one you see with the listings, that's not necessarily a bad thing. And it may be something that will change or is changing as technology and a faster pace leave #3 behind.

I wouldn't list with #2 or any agent who wants to list too low for a quick sale or one who gets listings by listing above market. Both are doing you a disservice.

Thanks everyone for the comments. I do think agent #1 will be the one we will select. He still lives in our county, just not in our neighborhood.

lascatx, I think you understand what I was getting at. Our local, independent real estate office is quite the "good ol' boy club". Agent #3 is older and does not use the internet, but she is part of the clique. I want to hire an agent who will reach the largest number of potential buyers, so I will go with agent #1. I just hope the local agents will show my house.

They will show your house if there is a commission involved. Good luck with your sale!

We need to remember that in some more rural parts of the country, high speed internet access isn't available. But you might still have dial-up. In all fairness, if the agent spends a lot of time at the office with a computer, doesn't live too far from the office and is computer savvy, it should be okay.

HMMM. Older lady with no internet access. Run away... she is a part timer if this is the case. Trust me. I am on my computer and smart phone from early morning to late at night in this profession. She should be too.

Hire the agent that you can get "YES" answers to the following questions:

1. Does the person communicate well and offer me to communicate in the method I prefer?

2. Do they seem trustworthy? Do you think they would have your back throughout the transaction?

3. Do your values and morals seem to match up to theirs?

Find the agent that has these qualities and all the other fluff will fall into place. Good luck.

I'd also be interested in the prospective agent's track record in the area.

30 minutes outside of Atlanta in any direction is not the sticks. and from your past posts....based on where you are. Hire agent 1. Not 3.

I can't imagine listing with an agent who does not have internet access from their home. Much of the bidding is done via email. If she's an active realtor she can't be in the office that much or shouldn't be, or late evening, when often offers or questions are submitted

Exactly, debbie! My DH just sold his previous home and his realtor never met the buyer's realtor. Everything was done via email and phone calls. Times have changed!

"30 minutes outside of Atlanta in any direction is not the sticks. and from your past posts....based on where you are." 30 minutes outside of San Jose can put you outside of cable/DSL/FIOS/wireless service and leave you only with dial-up or satellite (not much better from what I am told).

Just because she does not have computer access at home is not a deal breaker. Maybe she does not want to be bothered with the business while at home on her own time. She does all the work in the office.

She should have a smart phone which gets access most places. And since the OP has access, so should this realtor who is obviously in the same area.

She doesn't want to work 24/7? She should get out of real estate. I went through the licensing process and got a license, but never activated it. Didn't want to give up my nights and weekends.

Because I went through the tests, passed, got my license, I know what Realtors go through. They are required to take classes and update those licenses periodically. AND they have to pay for it all. I had a persuasive realtor friend who talked me into it, but I soon discovered the life of a realtor was not for me! I respect and use realtors for any sale or purchase in real estate we make.

tlbean, and those are the reasons she would not be my realtor. It is not a 9 to 5 job

Let me ask. If the Realtor with no Internet at home had by far the highest closing rate in the neighborhood would you not consider him/her?

Incredible lack of focus! lol

No.

That's a big "If", SaltiDawg...

It seems a fair question. Knowing nothing about the realtor's track record nor her methodology and judging her solely on the basis of her PC's location seems foolish?

I trust a realtor would not judge a client by his or her attire... lol

Go back to the OP - Agent #3's marketing plan was to list on MLS and hold an Open House, and nothing more. And no internet at home. So the answer is still, NO.

I'm watching all the old-school Realtors in my neighborhood (that used to have all the listings, sales, impressive records) gradually get steam-rolled out of the business by the high-tech, savvy, younger agents, because the buyers are all high-tech and savvier than ever now - and have access to lots and lots of online tools.

The best are the older, more experienced ones who have jumped on the bandwagon and gone high-tech themselves. Nobody survives long without a smartphone. I'm trying to figure out if I can even make it without a 3G/4G tablet (I'm stuck to wifi right now and considering a hotspot to manage.)

Pinkpaula, Sorry to be off topic. I'm trying to reach you regarding a post from last year where you showed pictures of your newly installed Mirasol Bianco Carrara bathroom (American Olean). Can you tell me how it has held up over the last year? I am doing a test run with a layout of the floor tiles on my living room floor, before installing in the bathroom, and the tiles are chipping almost every time I touch them against another tile. We plan to lay them in a high traffic bathroom. Thanks, Andrea

P.S. I am also an ex-real estate agent. I got out of the business in 2001 to stay home with my special-needs son. I would agree with ncrealestateguy and c9pilot that your agent needs to be hooked in to as much high-tech gadgetry as possible. Buyers and sellers want answers quickly, and buyers use their smart phones to access the latest listings through a variety of avenues. They use their phones to compare sale prices and amenities, while they are out driving around. They aren't going to wait for an agent to get back to the office to pull comps. They are online all hours of the day and night and expect you to know the market inventory and what has sold and how they compare as well as they do.

My son is looking for a house and I am amazed at all the work he is doing without an agent. He has mapped out all the neighborhoods, pulled 50 or so listings across several communities, looked at all the solds, and created a spreadsheet to compare ammenities, number of days on the market, average sale prices, etc., so he can narrow the market and gain a good understanding of what is happening in his price range before he even meets with an agent.

Of course we American's don't want people to have to work day and night to make a living....unless it's our realtor.

True, Brushworks. I would have left the business eventually, anyway. I hated the hours and the paging (yes, pager!), late night calls, and interruptions during my family time. Time vs income, minus expenses = There has to be a better way.

Andrea Edgar, (Thanks for remembering my bathroom prohect!) The Mirasol Bianco Carrara bathroom tile (by American Olean) has been perfect. No chips or cracks. It is really pretty. We did not buy ours at a big box store; we got the tile at a higher end, independent tile store. It cost more there, but I have been told that the big box stores sometimes sell the seconds, which might possess flaws. I don't know if this is true (and I have no idea where you bought your tile), but it may be an explanation for your cracking issue. Also, we hired a really good tile installer who did a fantastic job. I hope your bathroom turns out great!!!

I agree with your comments on up-to-date computer access for realtors. I hope your son finds the perfect house.

*project
Andrea Edgar, I just remembered that our tile installer said the Mirasol tile cut straighter and were more uniform in thickness than most brands he had used recently.

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, Paula. I ordered through Lowe's online. They do not offer them in the store, so I know they came straight from the supplier. The tiles are perfectly uniform in thickness and edging. I loved them until I started moving them around. I am using the lightest touch and they are still chipping, bottom and top. They are not through-body color, so I am left with dark taupe where they have chipped.

I am going to contact Olean tomorrow to see if they possibly had a recall on this lot. I am glad to hear yours have held up. Perhaps if I can get them installed without more damage, they will be ok. I am really nervous about cutting and installing them, though.

Your bathroom remodel looks fantastic. Do you recall what color and brand of grout was used?

Thanks again,

Andrea P.S. I hope my son finds a house that doesn't need a bathroom remodel. ;-)

(Please excuse me for highjacking my own thread.)
Andea, Thanks! The grout we used is ProSpec ProColor sanded grout. The color is "Moonlight".
You made me curious. I went out to our storage shed where we still have a small box of leftover tile from the bathroom remodel. I looked through the pile and not one tile was cracked or chipped on the edges. Even the ones that had been cut on the wet saw were smooth.

Best of luck with your project. I was nervous, too. ;-)

Sorry, I started the hijacking of this thread! Thanks again! :-)

I don't know how any realtor can be a luddite in this day and age.

Do they have a rotary phone and rabbit ears on their tv?

Did you build the "Elegant Simplicity" home? Is this the one you are selling!

After nine months?

No, John Harner, that is not my home. My house was built in 1910.