Finding the Right Real Estate Agent

Finding a real estate agent is the first step in the official part of buying or selling your home.

It is crucial to choose an agent with whom you can work in a professional way; you are not making a friend for life but you are beginning what could be a lengthy and intense relationship. Throughout your buying or selling period, keep your relationship on a business level so neither of you relaxes your efforts to sell or buy the right house.

To find the right agent, look for the local offices of established brokers, or real estate companies, to maximize your chance of finding an agent with considerable resources and local knowledge to support your sale or purchase. Look through real estate advertising to see which agents have a considerable number of listings and lists of ‘solds’ attributed to them. These likely are the most experienced and best supported agents, although they also may be the busiest and may deal with you mainly through their staff people rather than in person. Do not wander into a real estate office and pick the first agent on duty.

Make a selection from agents who work in established local offices, have a number of listings, seem to sell in your price range and who use supports like advertising, web sites and email. Interview the agents you are considering before making your final selection. Look for an agent who:

• is knowledgeable about the market in your target area(s)
• is knowledgeable about local schools, shopping, transportation, taxes, utilities, garbage pickup, etc.
• has visited all or most of the homes listed by all agents in the area
• understands your needs as for size, location, house features, and so on
• pre-selects properties meeting your needs before scheduling showings
• explains the basics of buying or selling real estate including financing options with consideration to how much you can afford to spend or how much you need when selling
• provides a professional opinion on the value of a house depending on local comparatives and other factors
• explains how you can ‘dress’ your home to enhance selling features or how to look beyond the dressing and furniture in homes you are considering to buy
• demonstrates good bargaining skills so you will be well represented at offer time
• gives you an honest, professional, not a personal, view
• is willing to ‘qualify buyers and sellers by determining if they can afford the purchase and are ‘serious’ about buying or selling within a certain price range
• follows up even after your purchase or sale to make sure there are no outstanding issues like trash removal, non-working appliances or other.