14 Tips For Choosing The Right Real Estate Agent For Your Property Search Or Sale

Buying or selling a home is an exciting experience for anyone. There is the thrill of the hunt and the excitement of the deal. The whole process is enhanced by a good real estate agent who knows the ins and outs of the market. But with so many brokerages and agents out there to choose from, finding a perfect fit may be more of a challenge than you expected. Working with a top agent who is experienced and trustworthy can go a long way in ensuring your property sells at top dollar, or that you buy for the best price in the market.

1. Choose The Person, Not The Experience
   I am a firm believer in choosing an agent who works for you and with you. Don’t choose an agent based solely on experience. Although it’s good to have, it’s not everything. You will be spending a lot of time with that agent and you need to mesh. Choose someone relatable and real. Choose for you, not for the house. Choose someone good at talking and negotiating.

2. Remember Chemistry Is Key
   Focus on neighborhood expertise; look for hyperlocal. Choose someone who knows the market – who understands if price points are going up or down. Ask yourself, can you trust them, are they honest? Is the agent well connected and they know what properties coming on the market?

3. Seek Referrals From Other Homeowners
   Despite the technology that seems to take over much of the searching for a home, the right real estate agent is still a human-to-human choice. Referral is best. There’s no bigger compliment to an agent than a referral from a past client. Ask homeowners who they would recommend. If you know the area you want to purchase in or sell your home in, there will be an expert in that area.

4. Find Someone Who Has Your Best Interests At Heart
   Ask yourself, “Does my real estate agent have my best interests at heart?” Be honest and transparent about what you’re looking for, and if an agent isn’t bringing you the right options, it’s likely they aren’t looking for houses for you but rather to benefit themselves. Ask questions upfront and don’t be afraid to move on to someone else if the relationship doesn’t feel right.

5. Go With Your Gut Feeling
   Your brain uses logic and emotion when making a decision, and that specific feeling you get when doing so is your intuition — your gut feeling. If you’re interviewing a real estate agent for the job, first look to see that they do a lot of business and have a lot of raving fans. Second, go with your gut feeling. If it feels right, he’s the guy or gal for the job.

6. Find An Agent You Can Trust
   As the client, you begin the dialogue — but pay close attention to the agent or broker and how he/she listens and asks YOU questions. Most successful agents have access to the technology it takes to make your property seen or to find options for purchase, but it takes a human being to understand and work to achieve your specific goals. Take time to find a human you respect and trust. –

7. Look For Passion, Conviction And Honesty
   Look at the agent’s work. The easiest and most valuable way is to review how they’re marketing other properties. Look at their listing materials, website, brochures and signage. Pay attention to their personal appearance. Look for passion, conviction and honesty. You want your agent to tell you what it’s going to take to get your home to sell faster and for the best price. –

8. Communication and Responsiveness
   This is probably the most important.  How are we going to communicate and how often? How do I reach the agent with questions and how quickly are they going to respond? Do they answer their phone calls? Do they text? Do they return emails promptly? Who am I going to communicate with? Is the agent part of a team, am I going to be passed over and be blocked from talking with the realtor who attracted me or am I going to be able to talk to the realtor? It may sound a little needy, but anyone in this industry knows that responsive communication is part of the job.

9. Check If They Mitigate Risk
   Find a real estate agent who is honest about the risks of buying or selling. Throw out the flattery and fluffy agents. You want someone who is realistic and can proactively mitigate risk. When interviewing agents, pay attention to those using real data in their answers when it comes to investment analysis, neighborhood-level market performance, and long-term impact of your decision to buy or sell.

10. Look For Strong Core Values
    Whether it’s business or pleasure, finding a good person all comes down to core values. Core values are important because you want to work with someone that plays by the same rules you do. For example, if you are an honest person who tells the truth, would you not want someone to tell the truth to you?

11. Find A Compassionate Agent Who Understands You
    Let’s face it — buying a house is a stressful task, especially if you are facing a divorce, having a baby, mourning the death of a spouse, etc. You need an agent who is patient with you and your circumstances. Interview an agent or broker and see if they have the same emotions, outlook on life, personality, as you do.

12. Track Record And Inventory
    Make sure your realtor is a full-time agent, not someone doing it on the side as a hobby. Great real estate sales brokers never show up out of nowhere. It takes a long time to build a track record that attracts quality clients. When you hire a realtor, you are their client and customer. They should be primarily concerned with your needs, not how much they’ll earn on commission or how quickly they can close the deal.

13. Negotiaton Skills
    For Buyers:  How adept is the agent I am working with at getting me the house I want at a fair and reasonable price What ways can they suggest to dress up my offer to make it the most desirable?For sellers: How adept is the agent to negotiate the best price and terms for the sale of our home?  What can they suggest for repairs or cosmetics to make our home a shiny penny over other homes on the market?

14. Knowledge of the area.
    Agents cover a wide geographical area but you want someone who can tell you the best restaurants in the area, short cuts to avoid traffic hold ups.  Any problems like flooding in a specifica area.    Vendors – they know who to call for any issue and will give me a list of preferred vendors/contractors.

Finding a real estate agent takes time, but picking your agent carefully will pay off in the end. Follow these tips above and you’ll be well on your way to finding an agent that will help you find your dream home, or sell the home you already have.