A good real estate agent for selling a house?

Thumbnail image for real estate sign porchVal emails (emphasis added):

A couple of years ago you did an Ask AoA about real estate agents. The majority of responses were from buyers - I'd love to see Ask AoA recommendations of realtors representing sellers, preferably ones familiar with Albany.

Real estate agents are just like any other profession, and some agents have different skills or strengths compared to other agents. And we get the feeling, anecdotally, that some agents are a bit more aggressive in strategy and pricing for selling a house.

So, got an agent to suggest to Val? Please share! And non-redeemable bonus points for a quick explanation about why that agent is good for sellers.

Comments

We had Nancy Klopfer as our agent when buying our first house. Our budget was not large and we had other agents that were not taking us seriously. Nancy was great and helped us find the perfect place!

My wife and I just sold our house and bought a new one. We worked with Marion DeSantis over on Balltown Road in Niskayuna.

She was really great... she took the time to walk us through everything (important because had purchased but never sold before) and was a really tough negotiator. We got our new house for about $10K less than I would have even started bidding at, so needless to say I'm very happy.

Her phone is 378-2200... she's usually very quick to respond unless she's with a client already.

I used Brian Sinkoff as my realtor. He used to be in radio and TV and now is a real estate agent.

I was a big fan of his show and wasn't sure about his skills as a realtor. However, I found him to be extremely knowledgable and courteous when it came to selling my home. He sold our home in under a week and found us another house in a timely manner. He got us such a deal!

I can honestly say that you will not be disappointed in Bria's skills as a realtor. He listened to us and got us what we wanted. He's all about the client and not himself. That's extremely important.

Check out his website - that's how we found him. www.sellitwithsinkoff.com.

Kevin Clancy
http://www.clancyrealestate.com/
He is fantastic.

I haven't used them but Clancy Real Estate took over a listing in our neighborhood and sold it within a week after it had been sitting (listed with another agency) for almost a year.

I second using Brian Sinkoff at Prudential Manor Homes. Like stated above, I knew about Sink from the radio show he hosted for a few years. Not knowing anything about real estate, I chose him because at least I knew a little about him through the show.

After our initial meetings, he told me that we'd find the house we were looking for in less than a month. I didn't believe him. In the end, it turns out he was right, as we found the perfect home during our first outing together.

Brian made the entire process very easy and totally user-friendly. The time he spent with my wife and I was quality time, all killer - no filler. Above everything, he was just a really nice guy, available, and super easy to work with. He made the process about as seamless as buying a home allows. I wholeheartedly endorse him.

I should have read the original post better - my experience was around buying a house. However, as I follow him on FB and such, I see that he is selling houses all the time.

He definitely uses his experience in the media better than anyone else to sell. He puts together really cool videos and such that really make his properties entirely more appealing than anybody else that I've seen.

Forsalebyowner.com

Best decision I ever made.

I've used agents before, most are wonderful people (and some jerks), however it's worth it if you do most of that work yourself.

A bit off topic but along similar lines - has anyone ever had experience with hiring someone to consult/advise them on making a home ready for sale several years out? Ie. I'm not looking to hire a real estate agent to sell my home now, but maybe would pay a fee to someone to come in and give us some advice for what would be ideal to focus on if we want to sell in two or three years?

We were extremely satisfied with Patrick McSharry when he sold my father-in-law's house a couple of years back, and are using him once again to sell ours. Our experiences have been very good with him.

http://mcsharryandassociates.com/

If you're looking for someone to deal with closely and not have any pangs of doubt, Patrick McSharry of McSharry and Associates. Just did a building buy for a business and he handled every curveball thrown our way with ease. Highly recommended. 439-3547 www.mcsharryandassociates.com

Fraida. Varah. Sells more Albany properties than anyone, all over the city

we highly recommened Elieen Heim @ coldwell banker in loudenville. she helped us sell our house fast. It sold at the first showing. priced it right for the market etc. She also helped us purchase our current house. Shes worked hard to figure out what we wanted and needed and we are very happy in the new house.

Mother and daughter team of Donna Goldslager and Merna Zinnershine. http://www.tvhre.com Lovely people, very experienced, honest. Gave really excellent advise for staging the home. A pleasure to work with, and sold the home quickly.

Don Smith -
http://www.donsmithhomes.com

He was honest and kind about what we needed to do to sell our house, most of it involving decluttering. He didn't encourage any expensive home renovation projects. Knew the market well enough to price it appropriately. And of course, took good quality photos of our home, which is key to getting prospective buyers in.

Pam Wakeley - http://www.coldwellbankerprime.com/thewakeleyteam

Pam is experienced and knowledgeable. She helped us sell our last two homes. She understands the market and is realistic about pricing. In both instances, we had offers within a week of the house being put on the market.

Elise Van Allen all the way. Explains everything, ALWAYS available and responsive when you need her: a must when buying a house. Some larger agents in the area pass you off to assistants or don't even appear in person at the closing. For the importance of a personal and professional experience when buying at least meet with her and decide for yourself.

http://elisevanallen.com

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