Buying or selling a home is a big deal, and choosing the right real estate agent should involve careful consideration.
Whether you’re selling an investment property or buying the home of your dreams, having a suitable agent on your side can make for a smoother, more successful outcome.
Find your perfect real estate agent with these quick tips.
Do Your Research
Handy websites like this one can help you find real estate agents in your area. Make sure you check out their website and reviews to see how past clients have found working with them.
From there, you can make an appointment to meet them in person, or pop into their next open house inspection to do some ‘mystery shopping’ and get a firsthand experience of their service. Note how they greet and interact with potential buyers. Watching real estate agents in action is the best way to determine whether you’d like them to represent you or not.
Check out potential real estate agents in action at open house inspections.
Check Their Results
Sure, they might be great at building rapport with potential buyers, but can they sell a house?
Look at their results to see what properties they’ve recently sold. Take into consideration how the properties were sold, their sale price, and how long they were on the market before selling.
Ensure the agent has previously sold properties similar to the one you’re looking to sell or buy.
Test Their Local Market Knowledge
It’s generally best to go local to ensure the agent knows the area and the other properties up for sale.
They should also be filled with knowledge about schools, transport and demographics, and be able to tell you what kind of buyers are on the hunt for homes in the area.
Choose a local real estate agent with strong knowledge of your area.
Make Sure You’re Comfortable
While you don’t have to be best buddies, getting along with your real estate agent is a must. You should be able to communicate openly and honestly with each other. If you can’t communicate effectively with your real estate agent, or can’t trust that they have your best interests at heart, it might not be the best match.
Make sure you’re comfortable enough with your real estate agent to have open and honest communications.
Putting your place up for sale? Try minimalist home staging to make your home more appealing to potential home buyers.
