No matter if you’re buying or selling, finding an agent who you can rely on to explain everything in detail and promptly answer all of your queries is essential.
Finding a great realtor can make all the difference to your experience and bank balance – but how can you select one?
Experience
Real estate agents should serve as your one-stop resource when purchasing or selling a home, helping navigate all legalities of each process and suggesting key players such as mortgage lenders or home inspectors to make your purchase seamless and smooth. They should possess extensive knowledge about both local housing markets as well as modern financial regulations.
Finding a quality realtor like Lydia Chelle can be accomplished in several ways; one of the best is receiving a referral from trusted friends or family members. Another effective strategy is researching agents in your area via websites like Zillow that provide listings with important info like recent home sales and customer reviews, while keeping in mind whether or not the agent works alone or as part of a team as this will affect the quality of service provided to you.
Select a realtor that suits both your personality and working style for optimal results when house hunting or homebuying. Getting to your dream home won’t happen overnight, so find someone you click with immediately! This step is particularly crucial when purchasing real estate.
An experienced realtor should possess an abundance of knowledge regarding all the different kinds of homes available in your community and their benefits and drawbacks, along with an in-depth knowledge of market fluctuations that will ensure top dollar is achieved when selling or purchasing homes.
Although some agents start off in real estate by shadowing or “faking it until they make it”, nothing beats real experience when selecting an agent for sale/purchase transactions. Look for someone with at least several years full-time experience that has assisted numerous clients successfully sell/buy homes in your market area.
As part of your interview process, pose identical questions to all agents so you can compare responses and select the one best suited to you. For instance, ask them whether or not they belong to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), as well as their code of ethics if applicable.
Reputation
No matter whether you are buying or selling, having an experienced real estate agent on your side can make the process smoother and more enjoyable. A good real estate agent should possess extensive knowledge about the housing market and be able to assist in finding a house at a fair price, while providing expert advice on how to price your home when selling.
When searching for the ideal real estate agent, it’s best to seek personal recommendations from friends and family. Ask about their experience working with that particular agent and any strengths or weaknesses they found during working relationship. Furthermore, check online reviews to determine whether there have been any complaints against their performance; if numerous negative reviews emerge it could be wiser to switch agents altogether.
Next, explore an agent’s sales history and current listings. Zillow makes this easy, providing easy access to recent sales as well as customer reviews of each agent in real time and showing a map displaying where most of their transactions have taken place – watch out for agents listing homes far from where they reside, as this may indicate they lack local knowledge.
Take the time to research an agent’s professional qualifications and licenses, such as their valid real estate license and completion of any required training or certifications. Also check their credentials on the National Association of Realtors’ website – some states allow dual agency whereby one agent represents both buyers and sellers in a transaction – however this can be risky so avoiding this scenario whenever possible is best practice.
At this point, it is time to interview multiple agents in order to select one who best meets your needs. When conducting your interview, discuss your goals and determine whether the agent fits with them as an ideal candidate for you situation. Furthermore, ask about local market knowledge as well as their approach for your specific situation and any fees or services costs they might impose as these could differ between agents.
Flexibility
As well as reviewing agents based on experience, credentials, and reputation, look for someone who fits with your personality. You will likely work closely with this individual over an extended period, so they should be easy to get along with. During interviews ask each agent important questions such as their communication styles with clients and availability status as well as discussing which types of homes or real estate you would like to buy or sell as well as any budget constraints so they can help find you an ideal property match.
A good realtor will have an in-depth knowledge of the local real estate market and can locate homes within your budget. Furthermore, they should be experienced negotiators to avoid overpaying or selling at a loss.
Some agents specialize in specific areas of the market, such as investment properties, first-time home buyers, foreclosures or military relocations. When shopping for real estate agents to purchase your new home from, be sure to ask each about which property type they specialize in as well as how they have helped clients purchase similar properties in the past. Similarly if selling your house ask each how they would market it to attract the appropriate buyer(s) as well as what price estimate you can expect it for sale.
As part of your interview process, it’s also a smart move to ask each agent you meet for contact details of three recent clients they have worked with and inquire about their experiences working with the agent in question. With this knowledge in hand, it should help narrow down your options and select an agent suited to you. Try online agent matching services such as Clever Real Estate, HomeLight, or Ideal Agent to connect you with top-rated agents based on qualifications and local reputation. These services typically adhere to stringent quality standards and vetting processes for their agents, and may provide savings such as 1.5% listing fees (roughly half the typical seller’s agent commission) that could help homeowners who do not feel confident interviewing multiple agents themselves or do not have time for such interviews. These services may be an attractive solution for homeowners without time to interview multiple agents themselves or simply don’t want the hassle.
Communication
Communication between you and your realtor is of utmost importance when purchasing or selling your home, so finding one who communicates well is of vital importance to making the experience less stressful and more enjoyable. Finding someone familiar with the local real estate market as well as understanding your individual needs is best achieved during an interview process by asking about past sales history or providing contact info for past clients; inquire how frequently they reply or inquire how often phone calls or text messages may come back as answers from them.
If an agent does not respond promptly to inquiries, this could be a telltale sign they are either not interested in working with you or do not have a system in place for quickly responding. Ask the agent what technologies they utilize in their work such as online bookings, virtual tours, electronic paperwork signing and electronic document submission or 3D/virtual reality videos as this could also give an indicator.
Additionally, it is crucial that you investigate whether the agent requires exclusivity from you. If this is the case, any attempt at communicating with other agents outside their scope may jeopardise this exclusivity agreement and prevent you from buying your dream home.
Word-of-mouth referrals remain one of the best methods for finding a dependable real estate agent, so be sure to ask friends and family for recommendations. You can also search online, visiting an agent’s personal website, or looking at their Zillow profile, which shows listings they’ve sold or listed recently in your neighborhood. Be sure to compare property prices against your budget in order to ensure they understand current market dynamics in your neighborhood – this will prevent overpaying or underpaying when purchasing or selling your current home.
