Deciding to buy or sell a home can be quite a stressful life event. If you are selling your home, you need to figure out everything you should be doing to make your home sell-worthy, and if you are buying a new home, you have to research the areas you want to buy based on property taxes, school districts, flood zones and everything else under the sun. Your life can be made so much easier by hiring a great real estate agent. If you open up your phone book, I’ll bet there are hundreds of names for you to choose from, so here is a list of five characteristics of a fantastic real estate agent for you to compare against.
1) Choosing a real estate agent is like choosing a new friend. You are going through a transition period in your life and this agent will be right next to you, representing your family, so you will want somebody who is compatible with all of you. This varies across the board depending on the person who is actively seeking a real estate agent. Some people want an agent who is blunt and to the point. They don’t like their business deals sugar-coated in any way, shape or form. Others may want a real estate agent who is a little more compassionate and who will stick by them and try to help them in anyway they can. Before settling on a real estate agent, you need to interview them ahead of time. Like with any job, your agent needs to be qualified and willing to work with you, so set up appointments with different agents and discuss their buying and selling styles. You will get to see a little more into their personality and see if it will be a match with you and your family’s. Do not feel bad or guilty about choosing certain real estate agents. When buying or selling a home, the only person looking out for you is you.
2) Find somebody who come highly recommended from family, friends and former clients. Ask around and find out which agents your friends and family used and how they felt about their experiences. Chances are you will find a real gem. Contact your local Better Business Bureau before going ahead with any one specific agent to see if any complaints have been filed against him or her.
3) A great real estate agent will never try to pressure you or rush you through any process. If you are looking for homes and your real estate agent tries to pressure you to buy the very first home you look at, that should be a red flag. Although, essentially, commissions are what drive a real estate agent, they should also look to get you the best house or the best price they can.
4) A real estate agent who is looking out for your best interests will not make vague or false statements. If you see a house and you mention that it looks like it might have had some foundation work done, a great real estate agent would automatically say, “I’ll check into that” and then follow through with that investigation. A not-so-great real estate agent might brush off your concerns and say something like, “I’m sure they didn’t.” This is a major red flag and it shows you what your real estate agent’s true intentions are: his/her commission.
5) Another sign of a good real estate agent is how well they keep in contact with you. If you hire somebody and don’t hear back from them until a couple of weeks, that is not a good sign. Sure, they may be busy, but you are their client and they should be available to you to answer all questions you may have. They should also be the ones contacting you frequently to see if there have been any new developments or to see if there are any questions or concerns they can answer or address.
