If you're wanting to sell your home in Oak Park (or anywhere, for that matter) it's extremely important that you find an agent who's an expert in the area. A lot of rookie agents will say they're experts because they've lived there all of five years. Wrong! That's not really an expert in my book.
You want to find a listing agent who has experience selling homes in your part of town, because guess what? Y0u're home is a product, and so is its location. I don't know about you, but I haven't bought anything from a sales person who doesn't know their product.
The fact is, for real estate agents to sell Oak Park homes with any level of effectiveness at all, they must have a strong knowledge of the products they're trying to sell. This means an intimate knowledge of neighborhoods, home values, and amenities like parks, golf courses, shopping centers, and schools.
Oh, and don't forget likability. Friendliness is unbelievably important in a listing agent, because charts, statistics, and an MLS listing aren't enough to sell houses anymore. It takes someone with a personal interest in working hard to satisfy all the parties of the transaction to close a deal. That's rarely an introverted part-time agent (those usually go hand in hand, and for a reason).
Do yourself a favor and interview several Oak Park listing agents before picking one. Then call Carol Lee, an Oak Park listing agent who grew up in the Conejo Valley and raised a family there. Now that's a true expert!
