Umer Zahid
The prospect of dealing with a real estate agent brings forth unknown fears for some people who are looking to buy or sell a property. While some agents are genuine and consider their clients’ interest as a top priority, there isn’t any shortage of individuals who want to make some quick bucks at someone else’s expense.
As a buyer or seller, it is your responsibility to pick a realtor who is trustworthy and helps you buy a property for the right price in the market, or ensures that your property sells at the right price. So, here’s how to choose a real estate agent. Read on!
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There isn’t any magic formula for choosing the right real estate agent. But, there are certain things you should look for in an agent when you’re buying or selling a real estate.
Good Communication Skills
Buying or selling a property is about the communication between the agent and seller or buyer. Find an agent who will communicate well and is willing to answer all the questions you might have during the process of buying or selling of the property.
Adequate Experience
You’re looking for a person who has a proven record of completing several housing transactions. For that, you need to get some information about their experience. Ask him/her what they have sold in last month or two? Ask about prices of different properties and how much time they take to close a deal? It’s better to do the due diligence about agents’ experience before hiring them.
Trustworthy and Honest
As you will be working closely with the agent, you should go for a person who can be trusted and doesn’t have a bad rapport in the market. Contact other realtors or the agent’s previous clients to hear what they have to say about their experiences. If the reviews are positive, then you should go for that agent.
Local Market Knowledge
Every real estate market is different. You need a real estate agent who knows the local market well and knows the latest trends and patterns of the local market. If the agent has the local market knowledge then they will be able to guide you through all these trends in the local market and will help you find the right real estate in your preferred location.
Tips for Choosing a Real Estate Agent
To help you more with this selection process, here are some of the tips that can help you choose the right real estate agent.
Choose Someone Real and Relatable
You should seek out an agent who is honest and has a personality that meshes with yours. As you will be working together for a long period, you need an agent who is patient with and understands your circumstances. Don’t choose someone purely one their experience; although it is a good thing but you need a real estate agent who is realistic and doesn’t throw out the flattery stuff.
Get Referrals from Friends or Family
Despite the technology boom in the real estate sector, people still prefer referrals from friends or family to pick an agent. Another way is to check online for their credibility and experience: If they have a digital presence, check out their social media pages and their website. Once you’re satisfied, meet the agent in person.
Find an Area Expert
As we have mentioned above, you should go for a realtor who has the local market knowledge and knows a great deal about the area. Such agents are more aware of the buying and selling prices of the properties and typically know a lot more than the agents who don’t work in the neighbourhood. You can search on the internet or ask your friends or relative if they know agents in a certain area or not.
Listen to Your Gut Feeling
When making a decision, your brain uses logic and emotion. While making a decision, the feeling you get is your gut feeling. If your gut feeling is saying that he/she is the right person for the job, then you may choose to trust it.
Interview Agents
Interviewing the agent is very important because you get to know about their history, experience, strategies and references. This way, the buyer or seller can know about any potential concerns. After interviewing the agents, do some background check and see the agent’s credentials. This background check is an extra measure for you to check whether the agent you’re working with is honest and has your best interest at heart. You can interview multiple agents then dig deeper into their credentials to see if there isn’t anything that you need to avoid.
Interviews can also help you to evaluate their skills if they can get the deal over the line or not. So, this step is quite important in selecting the right real estate agent.
Surf the Web
Nowadays, most real estate searches start on the internet. You search a keyword on Google by location and you get thousands of results in a matter of seconds. If you spot any real estate agent who seems right, you can contact them via the number given on the property website. While these resources are convenient and helpful, it all bogs down to the accuracy of information. Whether the information on the web is authentic or not, you need to verify that and extract as much information as you can.
As we all know, realtors are in the business of marketing properties and it is not unusual from them to play up their credentials. They could lie blatantly about their accomplishments which often lead customers to pay more due to their tall claims. So, always do your research and use the aforementioned steps to choose the real estate agent that is right for you.
There you have it! This is how you can choose a real estate agent. If you have any questions related to this article, write them in the comments section.
