5 Questions Every Southern NH Seller Should Ask Before Hiring a Real Estate Agent

So if you're thinking about selling your home in Manchester, Bedford, Derry, Concord, or anywhere across Southern New Hampshire this year, here are the five questions I'd want you to ask. Not just of me — of anyone you're considering.

1. How Many Homes Have You Sold Recently?

Start with the most basic question, and pay attention to how quickly the answer comes.

Ask: "How many homes did you sell in the past 12 months — and what was your total sales volume?"

You're not looking for a lifetime number here. You're looking for what they're doing right now, in this market. Real estate has changed enormously in the past three years. An agent who was selling 30 homes a year in 2021 isn't necessarily selling 30 homes a year in 2026 — and the playbook is very different.

What you want to listen for:

• A clear, immediate answer with real numbers — no fumbling, no "let me look that up"

• Whether those numbers are individual or team-based (both fine, just be clear which you're getting)

• A quick, honest comparison to the broader Southern NH market

If someone hesitates on this question, that tells you something. An active agent knows their numbers because they live them.

2. How Well Do You Know My Local Market?

Southern New Hampshire isn't one market. It's dozens of micro-markets that move differently. What's happening in Bedford right now is not what's happening in Hooksett, even though they're 15 minutes apart. Manchester's North End sells differently than Manchester's West Side. Derry and Londonderry behave differently than Concord and Bow.

Ask: "How many homes have you sold in my neighborhood or area in the last year? What are you seeing in [your specific town] right now?"

What you want to listen for:

• Specific examples of recent sales nearby — not vague references to "the local market"

• Familiarity with your neighborhood, your price band, and what buyers are currently looking for

• The ability to reference comps, days-on-market trends, or recent shifts without scrambling

A great agent talks about your area in specifics. They might mention a sale that just closed three streets over. They'll know whether listings in your zip code are going under contract in two weeks or two months. They can tell you how showings are running, what's pulling offers, and what's sitting.

If everything they say could apply to "the New England market" generally, that's a flag. Local expertise lives in the details.

3. What Experience Do You Have With Homes Like Mine?

A 1965 Cape in Manchester sells differently than a new construction in Bedford. A condo in Concord sells differently than a single-family with acreage in Auburn. Price point, condition, age, lot, and buyer profile all change the strategy.

Ask: "How many homes have you sold in my price range? Have you worked with homes similar to mine in style or condition?"

What you want to listen for:

• Specific numbers tied to your price band

• Examples of similar homes they've recently sold or listed

• An understanding of how buyers behave at your price point — what they look for, what gives them pause, what closes the deal

When an agent has real experience with homes like yours, they can tell you exactly how they'd position it. They'll have a clear take on which features to lead with, which photos will pull the most clicks, which improvements are worth doing before listing, and which are not. They'll know what kind of buyer is most likely to walk through your door — and they'll have a marketing plan built around that buyer.

That's the difference between selling a home and selling YOUR home.

4. How Long Do Your Listings Typically Take to Sell?

Every seller has a timeline, even if no one's said it out loud yet. Job changes, school years, a closing on a new place, a move out of state — they all create real-world deadlines. You need to know how an agent handles timing from the day you list to the day you close.

Ask: "What's your average days on market? How does that compare to the average in [your town]?"

What you want to listen for:

• A clear, specific number — not "homes sell pretty fast around here"

• An apples-to-apples comparison to the broader local average

• A simple explanation of how their pricing and marketing strategy affects timing

A strong answer connects the number to a real plan. The agent should be able to walk you through how they price homes to generate interest in the first 7 to 14 days, how they handle showing feedback, and what happens if a home doesn't sell within their typical window. (Spoiler: it shouldn't be "we just drop the price and hope.")

You're looking for someone who can map a realistic path from listing to closing — and who tells the truth about what factors actually move that timeline. According to NHAR ShowingTime data, average days on market in Southern NH varies meaningfully by town and price point. Your agent should know the number for your specific situation.

5. How Close Do Your Listings Sell to the Asking Price?

This is probably the question you care about most, even if you didn't know the term for it. Marketing, timing, negotiation, and pricing strategy all show up in one number — what the home actually sold for compared to what it was listed at.

Ask: "What's your average list-to-sale price ratio?"

This tells you, on average, how close the agent gets to (or above) the asking price. A ratio of 100% means homes typically sell right at list. A ratio above 100% means they're routinely selling above ask. Below 100% means there's usually a gap between what the home was listed at and what it actually sold for.

What you want to listen for:

• A specific percentage they can back up

• A clear explanation of how they arrive at the right list price in the first place

• An honest answer about how they handle negotiations once offers come in

The way an agent talks about price tells you a lot. Are they pricing aggressively to generate competition? Are they pricing conservatively to leave room for negotiation? Do they understand the difference between activity (showings, traffic, social shares) and momentum (offers, escalations, urgency)? An agent who has thought about this carefully will sound completely different than one who hasn't.

How to Read the Answers

Here's the part nobody tells you. The answers matter — but how someone answers matters even more.

A great agent will answer all five of these questions with confidence and specificity. They'll have numbers ready. They'll connect those numbers to your specific situation. They'll tell you what they don't know, instead of pretending they know everything.

A less experienced or less prepared agent will hedge. They'll talk in generalities. They'll change the subject. They'll get defensive about the questions themselves — which is its own answer.

This isn't about catching anyone out. It's about hiring the person who's going to handle one of the largest financial transactions of your life. You deserve clear, confident answers. And the right agent will be glad you asked.

A Word on "Discount" and "Friend" Agents

I'll say this gently because I see it a lot. Hiring a part-time agent who's a friend of a friend, or going with someone who's offering a deep discount on commission and a rebate on top, can feel like a smart way to save money. Sometimes it works out. Often it doesn't.

The reason is simple. Selling a home well costs money. Professional photography, drone footage, twilight shots, staging, deep cleaning, premium signage, paid advertising, and the time it takes to negotiate a complicated deal — none of that is free. An agent who's charging significantly below market either has a different cost structure (which is fine — ask them what it is), or they're absorbing the loss by skipping the things that actually move the price.

The "savings" you think you're getting on commission can easily get eaten — and then some — by a sale price that's 3% to 8% lower than it should have been because the home wasn't positioned correctly.

That's why these five questions matter so much. They're not just about credentials. They're about understanding what you're actually paying for, and making sure the person you hire is going to do the work.

FAQ

How long does it take to sell a home in Manchester, NH?

Days on market varies by price point, condition, and time of year, but most properly priced homes in Manchester are going under contract in the first 30 days when they're well-prepared and well-marketed. Specific data for your town and price range is available through NH Association of REALTORS® ShowingTime FastStats.

What is a good list-to-sale price ratio in Southern NH?

A list-to-sale ratio of 99% to 102% is generally considered strong in the current Southern NH market. Anything consistently below 97% suggests pricing or strategy issues. Above 102% means the agent is routinely generating multiple-offer situations.

Should I really interview more than one agent before hiring?

Yes — at least two, ideally three. The Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from NAR shows that 88% of sellers contact only one agent before hiring, but the sellers who interview multiple agents tend to feel more confident in their choice and end up with a clearer pricing and marketing strategy. The hour or two it takes to compare options is one of the highest-ROI hours of the entire selling process.

Call to Action

Ready to talk about what this means for you? Call or text Jess Provencher, Associate Broker at Pro Homes, at 603-519-3310 or visit prohomesnh.com. Serving Manchester, BedfBefore you sign a listing agreement, ask any agent how many homes they've sold in the last 12 months, how well they know your local market, what experience they have with homes like yours, what their average days on market looks like, and what their list-to-sale price ratio is. These five questions separate a good agent from the right agent for you — and the answers will tell you everything you need to know.

Here's a stat that stops me every time I read it. According to the latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from the National Association of REALTORS®, 88% of sellers contact only one agent before deciding who to hire. Nearly nine out of ten people are choosing the first agent they talk to.

I get it. Selling a home is already a lot. The idea of interviewing three or four agents on top of everything else feels like one more thing on a list that's already too long. So most people meet with someone who was referred by a friend, or who sent them a postcard last spring, or whose face they recognize from a yard sign — and they hire them.

And here's the thing. Sometimes that works out. The first agent you meet with might be exactly the right person. But the only way to know that is to ask the kind of questions that separate "good agent" from "right agent for me." Because there's a real difference between the two, and that difference can show up in your final sale price.