What To Look For In A Real Estate Agent

One of the biggest decisions in the home buying or selling process is what real estate agent you select.

A good one can make the experience ten times less stressful, more effective, and more profitable. A bad one can make you second-guess everything and bring unnecessary complications into the process.

Unfortunately, there are inexperienced brokers and agents out there claiming to help you sell or buy your property. So finding an agent can sometimes feel like you’re playing “Where’s Waldo?”.

To simplify the selection process, here’s a guide on how to evaluate realtors.

1. Market Knowledge

The primary aim of hiring a real estate agent is to capitalize on their market knowledge and experience to get a fair price and avoid overpaying or underselling.

That’s why we consider it crucial to hire a professional Realtor who thoroughly understands the market, and can give you informative insight on how much you should list or pay for your home.

Essentially, an experienced real estate agent should be able to tell you the average price of homes in the area and what you should pay. Of course, this also applies when you’re making an investment purchase, since your agent is the best person to give you advice on the cost of a house in disarray.

And if you’re an out-of-town buyer, your agent’s regional market knowledge is even more important.

2. Positive Reviews

While you may want to trust your first impression or gut instinct, it’s risky. We recommend picking a real estate agent that other individuals have validated.

Additionally, reviews from strangers online or your close friends and family members will give you a feel for whether the broker can handle your specific objective(s).

Ideally, it’s best to hire an agent who works with people with circumstances similar to yours; for example, people who wish to buy a house for the first time are different from homeowners looking to upgrade, and are on their fourth home.

3. Official Qualifications

A subtle hint at an agent’s reliability is their involvement with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) because being a part of this organization means that they agree not to abuse the ethics that govern the organization itself.

You can also request qualifications, as some Realtors have completed training in specific areas of real estate to serve their clients better. Some indicators include:

SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist): Completed training to help buyers and sellers aged 50 and older
CRS (Certified Residential Specialist): Completed additional training to handle residential real estate
ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative): Completed additional training in representing buyers in transactions

Note that some agents can handle multiple tasks like helping you buy a new home and listing your current home for sale (including pricing and marketing). While some states do not support dual agency, it is permitted in San Francisco if your broker offers the service.

4. Good Communication Skills

Communication skills make all the difference in the world. A good relationship between your agent and the other party’s agent is key, and can help you close sooner at a better rate.

This factor is also essential since you will also spend a lot of time with the agent. A good agent can work effectively with introverts and extroverts, and put all personalities at ease.

If you feel you cannot build rapport or communicate effectively, or if you are otherwise not enjoying the process or not feeling heard, it is usually best to thank them for their time and find someone else you feel more comfortable with, as soon as you can.

5. The Ability to Negotiate

The primary job of a real estate agent is to help produce the best possible result. A good one will help you find the right property, at the right price, in the right time frame.

All of these objectives can be achieved effectively using good negotiation skills.

A seller or buyer may offer a price that is unacceptable to you, requiring both parties to find a middle ground; a good Realtor must be able to represent your best interests in this discussion.

Or the loan underwriter might be bogged down and delayed; but a good Realtor can negotiate smoothly to get your loan underwritten first.

Finding a financial middle ground is crucial for buying or selling a property because both parties leave feeling triumphant about the sale, and happy about the experience.

The best way to know if your agent is a professional negotiator is to look at their previous closings and reviews.

6. Quality Branding

Suppose your social circle or the internet suggested a few real estate agents that fit your requirements. In that case, the next step is to research those Realtors to get a better feel for them.

You can check their website and active social media accounts for content. Does their website look cluttered or outdated, or is it well put together, creating a great first impression? Most likely the agents with a solid website will care enough about their brand and reputation to invest in a nice one. Seeing that an agent cares about their website is a good sign when researching.

Also, if a Google result for their name is littered with negative reviews, watch out. Of course, some negative reviews are inevitable in business; you can, however, pay attention to the frequency of these negative reviews and see if they exceed the positive ones.

Additionally, check with the state to see if the agent possesses the appropriate license or has disciplinary actions. Finally, you can potentially check them out on the Better Business Bureau’s website for other people’s comments.

Next, Interview Potential Realtors

After doing some initial due diligence, the best way to choose your real estate agent is to set up individual meetings with your top candidates.

Ask each candidate a list of interview questions that are most critical to you. Based on their answers, you should be able to tell who is most experienced and who you’d interact with best, going forward.

You can also do a second round of questions or give the agents a homework assignment to complete and report back to you before making the final decision.

Conclusion

If you’re buying or selling a home, it’s best to search for a real estate agent using the criteria above. Putting in extra work up front to select the best one for you will save you valuable time and energy on the back end when it’s deal crunch time.

Is Mike Plotkowski the right fit for you? There’s only one way to find out! Begin the conversation today and take it from there!.