What Does a Selling Broker Do?

The job of a selling broker in the real estate industry is to help sellers find someone to purchase their property. In many cases, this means selling brokers need to analyze the house to make sure it is ready for potential buyers to visit. They also usually advertise the house online and in print, especially if they plan to host an open house so people can come by and look at it. In addition, the typical selling broker job description includes responding to emails and phone calls about the house, because brokers need to answer questions from both buyers and sellers.

One of the first tasks of a selling broker is to take a close look at the house before deciding how to advertise it. It is usually necessary to determine the strengths of the home to properly market it, though the weaknesses also are important to note so the seller can work on getting them fixed. For example, a selling broker might decide the house would be easier to sell if it had a fresh coat of paint, a remodeled kitchen or a new carpet. Brokers may make such suggestions to sellers, particularly before having any potential buyers come by to look at the property. Even houses that are in generally good shape often need to be cleaned thoroughly or redecorated a bit to appeal to the majority of buyers, and brokers can offer this advice to sellers.

While the seller makes any necessary changes, the selling broker is typically busy getting started marketing the home. This often begins with photographs of the house, and most selling brokers either take the pictures on their own or hire a professional photographer to get the best shots. Brokers then usually create a description of the house, set an asking price, and take at least one photo, and they typically list this in several places. Newspapers, magazines and websites are the most common places to post a listing, though the best brokers do some research first to determine which media outlets have the most readers interested in buying a home. The broker should then arrange an open house, which involves making sure the home is ready for visitors, advertising the event, and attending it so potential buyers can have their questions answered.

Selling brokers also have to answer questions both before and after the open house. They usually put their phone number or email address on the property listing so interested buyers talk to them, not the seller. In addition, the typical selling broker is used to fielding a lot of questions and concerns from the seller, who usually wants to sell the home quickly and for as much money as possible. Therefore, the selling broker tends to have to suggest ways to acquire more interest from buyers, which may include changing the price. The opposite of a selling broker is a buying broker, a similar agent who represents the buyers in real estate transactions.