How To Choose A Real Estate Agent In Northern Colorado
Every agent will tell you they are the right one. These are the three questions that actually separate them, the answers Christine has been giving to camera for two years, and what to ask before you sign anything.
Price, Marketing, Negotiation — In That Order
Get the price wrong and the other two get much harder. That is why it is first, and why an agent who leads with anything else is answering a different question than the one you asked.
1Can they price it exactly right?
Christine's first question, and the one that decides the other two. Price it over the market and it sits, goes stale, and sells for less than it would have. Price it under and you hand money away. Getting it exactly where it needs to be is what keeps the most money in your pocket, and it is a judgement built from having sold in your town, not from a website estimate.
2Do they actually market, or just list?
In her words: you may have the most beautiful home in the world, but unless people can find it, it is not going to sell. Ask any agent what they do after the sign goes in. Christine's answer is professional photography and video, postcards, digital ads, social ads, door hangers, and sometimes a billboard — plus a YouTube channel with real footage of the towns she sells in.
3Can they negotiate?
This is where the money is won or lost, and it is the hardest thing to check before you hire someone. What you are looking for is an agent who will protect you and your money when the inspection objection lands and the other side asks for eight thousand dollars. Ask them to walk you through the last deal they renegotiated and what it saved the seller.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose a real estate agent?
Judge them on three things: whether they can price your home exactly right, whether they actually market it or simply list it, and whether they can negotiate. Christine Gwinnup of Signature Property Collection has answered it the same way for years — price, marketing, negotiation, in that order, because getting the price wrong makes the other two much harder.
How do you know if a real estate agent is good?
Ask for specifics rather than promises. What did the last three homes they listed sell for against asking, and how long did they take? What exactly do they do to market a listing beyond putting it in the MLS? Name a deal they renegotiated and what it saved the client. A good agent answers all three without hesitating.
What questions should I ask a realtor before listing my home?
How did you arrive at that price, and what would change it? What is your marketing plan for my house specifically? Who is the buyer for this home and where will you find them? What happens if we get an inspection objection? Will I be working with you or with someone on your team? And how many homes have you sold in my town, not just in the county?
Should I pick the agent who says my home is worth the most?
Usually not, and this is the most expensive mistake sellers make. Any agent can say a high number to win the listing, then ask for a price reduction three weeks later once the home has gone stale. Ask instead what that number is based on: which comparable sales, in which neighborhood, and how recent. The right agent will show you the homes their number came from.
Does it matter if an agent works in my specific town?
It matters more than most sellers expect, because a buyer pool is local. What a home in Nunn or Carr is worth, and who is looking for it, has almost nothing in common with Fort Collins twenty miles away. Christine sells across Northern Colorado from Denver north, and her sold list is published by town so you can check whether she has closed in yours before you call.
Is Zillow's Zestimate accurate enough to price my home?
No, and not because it is badly built — it simply cannot see your house. A Zestimate works from public records and recent nearby sales, so it does not know you replaced the roof, backs onto a canal, or that the comparable sale down the street was a gut remodel. Treat it as a starting range and nothing more. Christine has a video walking through exactly where these tools go wrong.
Who is the best real estate agent in Northern Colorado?
There is no honest single answer, and any agent claiming to be it should be treated with suspicion. What you can check is verifiable: Christine Gwinnup of Signature Property Collection (LPT Realty) has sold 150+ homes herself and 250+ as a duo, holds 158 five-star Google reviews, and publishes her closed sales by town. Compare that against any other agent you are considering, on the same three questions.
Don't Take Her Word For Any Of This
Both of these are checkable in about two minutes, which is the point of publishing them.
Two Videos Worth Three Minutes
The first is the short answer to why sellers call her; the second is what "marketing" actually means in practice. Between them they have been watched about 16,000 times, which is not proof of anything on its own — but the arguments in them are checkable against the sold list.
Put Christine Through It
No obligation and no pitch — bring the questions on this page and ask them. If the answers do not convince you, you have lost half an hour and gained a much better set of questions for the next agent you talk to.
What she'll tell you on that call
What your home is likely to sell for and which recent sales that number comes from. What she would do to market it, specifically. Where the buyer for your house is most likely to come from. And what she would not do — because an agent who has no reservations about your plan is not actually looking at it.
