Buying and selling your home isn't a task you want to take on by yourself. But, it can be overwhelming to choose who you want to use to represent you. There are so many Real Estate Agents in your area, and new licensees every day! Here are some great things to look for when deciding what Realtor to work with.
1. Connection- You are going to be establishing a close relationship with your agent. They are helping you make some very big investment decisions and spending a lot of time with you for the some time. You want to feel comfortable with your Realtor and have trust in them.
2. Experience- it's not really about the number of years they've been licensed as much as how many transactions they have successfully closed. You could have a real estate license for 1 year and 20 years and close the same amount of transactions. That gives you a clue as to how much experience they have and their success rate on getting the deal closed!
3. Availability- Think about it, if you're a buyer, you probably will have to see homes after hours and on the weekends to accomadate your work schedule. If your agent isn't available to show you the house, you could miss out on it! This doesn't mean that a Realtor can ALWAYS change their schedule to make an appointment work, so how do they work around it? Having a team or another agent to help gives them TWICE as much availability! This is a great advantage.
4. Knowledge of Contracts- Contracts are confusing- they are always changing and they cover a LOT of things. Once change on a contracts can sometimes make it where a supporting document also has to be signed. You Realtor should know the fine print and ALL the supporting documents needed to make sure you are covered.
5. Negotiation Skills- You want the house but there are multiple offers. What do you do? There may be some tricks up the sleeve to make you look like the BEST option. As a seller, you want the BEST price for your property. You're agent should be familiar with Fair Market Value and advise you on how to walk away with the best deal for you.
6. Systems/Organization- There are SO many plates that are juggled by a Realtor. From interpreting contracts to showing houses. Sometimes, it feels like you have to be two places at once. How can your Realtor balance everything? It's all about STREAMLINING. A good Realtor will have checklists and systems in place to keep things as streamlined and automated as possible. Especialy the needed, yet tedious tasks. This takes more off of their plate so they have more time tackling the big things.
We try to be as transperent as possible. No matter who you decide to hire, ask questions to make sure they will be a good fit for you. If you want access to the best 12 questions to ask a Realtor before hiring them, click the link below!
