Finding a Realtor can be overwhelming if you don’t know what qualities to look for in an agent. Here are a few tips to help you select an agent who is the right fit for you and your needs.
Referrals: Excellent referrals speak volumes. Reviews from former clients are crucial because they have been where you are as a buyer or seller. Refer to numerous outlets to get the best feel for your realtor, including their website, social media, blogs, and reviews on real estate search engines such as Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com.
Personality: Personality and charisma are also key. The market tends to be saturated with agents; it’s important to click with an agent and to feel comfortable. If you aren’t able to feel confident asking your realtor questions or for suggestions, then it won’t be a good experience.
Attention: Availability and Attention are so important. 2015 is a seller’s market and inventory in many areas are selling in a matter of hours. You need to be able to reach your agent easily via text, the phone, or email. If you do not hear back from your agent for several days, you will lose the sale, whether buying or selling.
Expertise: Your agent needs to be available and interested, and most importantly on top of the market and comps in the neighborhood where you are looking to buy or sell. If he or she knows the area they will be able to garner you the best offers, or guide you to make the best offer you can on a house to be competitive. They can also instruct you if a house is overpriced, or if there are not desirable things about the area (poor schools, heavy traffic or construction, crime, etc).
Networking: It’s also essential that you find an agent who has a network of experts to pull from. Established realtors have positive working relationships with mortgage brokers, inspectors, handymen, interior designers, insurance agents and more. This network is invaluable to a buyer or seller, and will serve you for years to come.
Trustworthiness: You want to find an agent who has the confidence and integrity to be direct with you. If you are listing your home, a skilled agent will be able to recommend staging tips to improve the flow of your home, as well as make it more attractive to potential buyers. They will also be able to tell you in a kind way if something is distracting that will detract from you being able to get the best possible offer. They may tell you to take down portraits, or to remove personal items and knick-knacks to declutter and make your home easier for the potential buyers to envision themselves in it. Don’t take this personally – an established, seasoned agent is doing everything they can to create the best outcome for you as the client.
Price points: An experienced realtor is usually open to working with a variety of price points and neighborhoods in a geographic area. Every buyer and seller have to start somewhere, and those first time buyers, young families, and young professionals will return to a good agent time and time again if they took care of them during an initial transaction, whether buying or selling. Good realtors know that this group that are more financially frugal initially will become more established and will likely increase their price point down the road when they become repeat clients.
Credentials: Last but not least, credentials are crucial. Realtors have the opportunity to specialize in certain areas, which can certainly help the client. Here is a breakdown about what the specialties mean:
CRS (Certified Residential Specialist): The agent has undergone rigorous training in handling residential real estate to make transactions as smooth as possible.
ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative): The agent has completed additional education in representing buyers in a transaction, who has met the specified educational and practical experience criteria required by the Real Estate Buyers Agent Council, REBAC
GRI (Graduate, Realtor Institute): The GRI designation means the agent has extensive training in legal and regulatory issues, technology, professional standards, and the sales process.
CDPE: (Certified Distressed Property Expert): The agent has a thorough understanding of the complex issues in today’s turbulent real estate industry and knowledge of forecloseure avoidance options available to homeowners. They can provide solutions, specifically on short sales, for homeowners facing market hardships.
SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist): The agent has completed training aimed at helping buyers and sellers in the 50+ age range. The realtor will have the knowledge and expertise to guide senior clients through major financial and lifestyle transitions in relocating, downsizing, refinancing, or selling the family home.
IRES (International Real Estate Society): This is a federation of regional real estate societies. Each Society maintains control over its own activities while participating in the federation to get the benefits of global co-operation.
By: Moira Brunken, ABR, GRI, IRES, CDPE, SRES, Safari Real Estate by Moira
With an extensive background in real estate sales, as well as in-depth knowledge of construction, interior design and landscaping, Moira puts a lot of care and attention into making sure you have all the information and guidance you need to make the right decisions. Whether it’s skillfully assisting you to stage your home for sale and marketing it for maximum exposure or helping you find the home of your dreams and uncovering all the possibilities for decoration and renovation, she gives you a distinct advantage when selling or buying. Contact her today for help with any of your real estate needs.