Choosing a realtor is an immensely important step in your real estate decision making process. The differences between what a realtor can 
offer can be significant…the right realtor can make a very stressful process as smooth as possible while the wrong realtor can add to the stress and potentially cost you money. Whether you are a buyer or seller it’s important to find the right realtor. As with any profession there are good realtors and bad realtors…the difference is that they generally get the same commission whether they go the extra mile or not.
Here are a few things to look for:
Buyers:
- Local market knowledge – finding an agent that understands the local market and what makes one home or location more valuable than another is critical. Look for an agent that sells in that community and knows what makes the neighborhood different than others
- Negotiating ability – There is no easy way of determining this with certainty until working with an agent, but search for an agent that has experience and success in selling homes. Find an agent that sells a lot of homes and chances are they know what they’re doing and know how to get you the best terms.
- Well connected agents – sending listings on the MLS is fairly easy, but working with a well connected agent could mean the difference between knowing about a home before others.
- Trust and reputation – make sure that you get a good feeling from the agent and that you sense they’ll put your needs well ahead of their own. This is also tough to determine without working with an agent so look up their agent testimonials on sites such as Zillow and Yelp. See what past clients have said and if you’re still not sure….ask to talk to past client. If they’re a good agent, they’ll have no problem giving plenty of past clients to talk with.
Sellers:
- Unlike buyers agents, sellers agents need to know how to prepare, market and advertise your home. Local knowledge is very important and you should choose an agent that sells often in the community. From accurately pricing the home, to knowing where to advertise to reach the specific buyers looking in that community….knowledge is everything.
- Home Prep and Marketing expert – some realtors simply snap a few pictures on their phone, put a sign in front and call it a day. Find an agent that does more as the costs are almost always the same. The best agents will help you from start to finish…from helping get the home ready, to professional pictures and advertising, to online exposure.
- Modern real estate demands modern marketing and exposure – find a realtor that is in tune with the latest marketing trends from social media and video tours, to dedicated property websites. Online exposure is critical with over 90% of buyers starting their home search online.
- Negotiating ability – There is no easy way of determining this with certainty until working with an agent, but search for an agent that has experience and success in selling homes. Find an agent that sells a lot of homes and chances are they know what they’re doing and know how to get you the best terms. When it comes to selling, no detail is too small as almost every item in an offer can mean money in your pocket….or not.
- Well connected agents – sending listings on the MLS is fairly easy, but working with a well connected agent could mean the difference between knowing about a home before others.
- Trust and reputation – make sure that you get a good feeling from the agent and that you sense they’ll put your needs well ahead of their own. This is also tough to determine without working with an agent so look up their agent testimonials on sites such as Zillow and Yelp. See what past clients have said and if you’re still not sure….ask to talk to past client. If they’re a good agent, they’ll have no problem giving plenty of past clients to talk with.
Whether you are buying a home or selling one, the decision regarding what agent to work for is critical and can be the difference between a great experience (and a lot of money) and a terrible experience.