Last year, 87 percent of buyers bought their home through a real estate agent. If you are trying to buy or sell your home, you need to use the best real estate agent in your area. They will get you the best deals in a shorter amount of time than other agents manage.
Other benefits of a property agent include getting real estate resources and expertise. These agents know how to honor deadlines during negotiations. Moreover, they know how to handle transactions.
Despite these great benefits, many people don’t know how to hire a realtor. They may scroll the Yellow Pages and just pick a random agent to help them. If you are in this situation, keep reading to learn simple tips for hiring a real estate agent.
Tips for Choosing the Best Real Estate Agent
The U.S. housing market has been rising since 2008. This means housing prices have gone up thereby affecting real estate transactions. As such, you need to hire a great agent if you want to buy or sell a home.
Here are some tips for choosing the best real estate agent:
1. Get a Referral
The first and simplest option is to ask for a referral. This can be from your friends, work colleagues, or family members. They’ll save you the time of vetting the agent.
Moreover, there’ll be somewhat of an already established relationship. The agent will treat you well because they know the person who sent you. And you’ll be more open to their advice because you’ve heard good things about them.
2. Research the Top Real Estate Agencies
Check your area for the top real estate agencies. Visit each one and get a feel for how they treat their clients. Confirm their rates and ask about their services.
Big agencies have many contacts, who help them get buyers and sellers in a short period. They also have experience dealing with many types of clients. As such, your interactions with them will be seamless.
Ask to speak to their previous clients about their experience with the company. Consider whether their misgivings are enough to dissuade you from using the company.
Last, confirm the agency you visit has an up-to-date license. They should also have professional awards to reinforce the idea they are good at their job.
3. Check Online Reviews
Go online and check the reviews for each realtor in your area. Make sure to read both positive and negative comments.
You’ll need to use your discernment to tell which reviews are real or fake. That’s because some companies pay individuals to leave positive comments about the company. Thus, you end up finding out firsthand that their services are bad.
4. Choose a Realtor Who Wants to Be a Partner
The problem with many real estate agents is they focus only on selling. They don’t consider the outcome of their work on their clients. They also don’t follow up to see if they satisfied your desire for a good property.
Instead, consider working with someone who wants to be a partner. They will go out of their way to help you find the home you want. If you are selling, they’ll do their best to get you a good deal. Learn more about such real estate agents.
5. Visit Each Agency’s Website
The quality of a real estate agency’s website will tell you whether they are professional. The idea is they will take care of you as well as they take care of their affairs. Thus, visit each agency’s website and get a first impression.
Confirm the website provides the company’s location and their contacts. It should list all their services and provide a page for pricing or receiving a quote. The site should have pictures and videos of various properties.
Moreover, it should have a page full of customer testimonials. These should highlight the quality of service each client should expect.
Real estate websites must have a blog for sharing industry information. The writers should research keywords and write relevant articles. Maintaining this blog will boost the agency’s brand as an authority in the real estate field.
6. Analyze the Marketing Tactics of the Agencies
A good barometer of whether a realtor can sell your home is in their marketing approaches. Do they have ads that appeal to you? Do they post videos of homes that make you want to live in them?
Professional real estate agents use different techniques for marketing. These include using social media, staying in touch with clients, and networking. Others involve giving home walkthroughs and hosting events on the property.
7. Red Flags for Agents You Should Avoid
The agent you work with should not be doing the job part-time. It should be their main job. Otherwise, it might take long before you buy or sell a home.
Another red flag is if they are rude or curt with you. If they sound like they don’t have any expertise, you should walk away. Also, they should not lie or exaggerate what they are telling you.
8. Confirm the Agent’s Fees
Confirm an agent’s fees beforehand if you don’t want to lose money on their commissions. Ask the agent to reduce their fee if possible. Otherwise, it can become a bone of contention later.
A good real estate agent will give you all the information you need before you work together. That way, both of you can figure out if you’ll be able to get good deals together.
9. Pick a Local Agent
Pick a realtor who lives in the area you want to buy property from. This is because the agent should know the neighborhood well. You can use an agent from somewhere else when selling the home.
Look at local listings to see which agent is popular. Then, contact that agent and set up a meeting. You can meet them and ask all the questions you have about getting real estate.
Remember, pick an agent who buys or sells the type of property you want. Otherwise, you’ll find an inexperienced agent who’ll cost you more than you expected.
Find the Businesses You Are Looking For
As you can see above, it’s not difficult to get the best real estate agent. Do your research, ask for referrals, and check the agency online. Make sure they show you their record of success in real estate transactions.
Visit our website to find the businesses you are looking for.