Christine Baumann Real Estate Blog
How To Choose a Real Estate Agent
Choosing a real estate agent might seem like a daunting task. This is especially true when you begin to think of all the professionals involved in the process of buying and or selling your home. There are quite a few! The good news is that a Realtor has most likely curated relationships with everyone you’ll need along the way. These are relationships they’ve built with other professionals while assisting their clients through the many transactions they’ve facilitated in their careers. So, it goes without saying that you aren’t just looking for a Realtor, but rather the right Realtor. We’re here to help point you in the right direction so read on!
What You Get
First let’s take a close look at what they bring to the table. As mentioned previously, they have done much of the difficult leg work, so you don’t have to. When you choose a Realtor you are choosing their network and resources. Those in effect become yours although you may not see it directly. A lender, home inspector, home appraiser, septic guy, garbage hauler, landscaper, general contractor, cleaning service, electrician, etc… the list can go on and sometimes it does! The resources at their disposal through the brokerage they are associated with matter as well! All in all, you want a problem solver with the tools to get your transaction completed in a timely and smooth manner. This list doesn’t even include all the roles the Realtor fulfills themselves! We’ll get into that later. Needless to say, there is a lot they provide.
If you’re reading this, it is a safe assumption that you don’t have a pre-existing relationship with a Realtor or if you do, you might be looking for a new one. Any number of circumstances can put you here. Regardless, what you want is someone who works in a professional manner that understands your unique needs while also understanding the complete process and the constraints that may play a role in your transaction. Let’s delve deeper.
Proof
Do they have the knowledge, skills, and experience to get the job done for you? You’ll want to do your research. Can you find them easily online? By this I mean is there enough information to give you the impression that they’ve been doing this for an acceptable amount of time? Look them up in the following places.
Realtor website
Social media for social proof
Real Estate sites
YouTube
You can learn a lot about a Realtor from all these resources that are literally at your fingertips! It also gives you an idea of how they market.
Referrals
A personal referral can be a powerful thing. Has a close friend or family member had a good experience with the Realtor? These kinds of referrals are everything! A good reputation flows from person to person and so does a bad one. Now, it isn’t necessarily feasible to expect that everyone will be lucky enough to come to a Realtor this way, but it is worth mentioning because it can mean a lot. Ask your friend or family member what they loved about the Realtor and what specifically moved them to make the recommendation in the first place. Everyone has unique needs and maybe there was something that really stood out that they went the extra mile for!
How Do They Work?
Do they have a team? By definition, every Realtor has a team meaning they have others they work with in some capacity. What we really mean here is how are they structured? Some Realtors work solo, while others have a structured team of individuals that can allow for greater efficiency and to meet your needs in a very specific way. Is their team comprised of specialists which may include a buyers agent and sellers agent? Do they have assistants, a marketing manager and transaction specialists? We want to be very clear here. Whether or not your Realtor has a team or does everything on their own is not cause or reason to choose one over the other. It may or may not be something you want to consider depending on your needs and the scale of those needs. There are large numbers of Realtors that do excellent work that fall into either of these categories.
The Interview
Interview your Realtor! Ask the right questions when having the conversation with them. Real estate is a very open and transparent business, and your Realtor will be the same. Ask them about their experience, why they do what they do, how long they’ve done it, what they enjoy about their work, and maybe even some of their success stories! These things make for a great conversation and the point is for you to get to know them and for the Realtor to understand you, and what is important.
Brokerage
Behind every Realtor is a brokerage that supports them and provides a myriad of resources. You may want to ask your Realtor why they are with their respective brokerage. The brokerage matters only in so much as why the Realtor has chosen to conduct business with them. They in essence represent one another. Many of these brokerages have a very long and outstanding history they are proud of and with values that extend to their Realtors. They understand that the success they have built through the years is because of each and every real estate agent out there doing the difficult work. In the end it is about making sure that you the client are more than pleased with the overall result and experience.
Reviews
Reviews are a double-edged sword and need to be taken with a grain of salt. A positive or negative review is at best an incomplete picture and at worst a misguided one. So, when you look at the reviews others have posted it is important to know how to take them. I can’ t tell you how many reviews I’ve come across that lacked any redeeming value and specificity. While shopping, I’ve seen reviews that I completely disagreed with, but that was their unique experience. The problem is that you can’t know why. So, use them as a very general guide and look for the reviews written well and that do provide specifics. You can also tell if there are red flags. If the same critique keeps coming up there may be something to it. To be sure, not all reviews are well written and valuable. See our reviews as an example.
Quality vs Quantity
It is important to note that real estate professionals are made and not grown. Like many professions, they come from varied backgrounds. They bring their own insights, strengths and even their own definition of what customer service is. That being said, I like to think of a professional not as someone working in a specific field but rather how they work and conduct themselves. I have seen a barista be more professional than a doctor. This is simply about how someone works and the work ethic that is attached. All I can say is that it feels great when the professional who you work with knows what questions you’re going to ask before you ask them. So, while on the surface someone with vast years of experience can look good sometimes you have to look under the hood a bit. This is not to discount years of experience which is of great benefit. Ultimately you want that experience to align with a good work ethic. Find this and you found your winner!
Compensation
It may help to have an idea how your Realtor is paid whether they are helping you buy or sell. The Buyers Agent earns a commission respectively from the seller through a cooperative commission they offer to the Buyers Agent. Essentially, they share the commission. The Seller and the listing agent collaborate on the commission to be offered. As you can see from the above information, if you find the right agent, then your dollars are well spent!
Much of this could extend across different professions. You could substitute brokerage for another institution or organization, but these principles all relate. Ultimately it’s extremely important and can be difficult to find the right professional. Take your time and like most things start looking well in advance of your actual needs. Finding the right professional can take some time and it’s better when you’re not in a rush. After all, you are actually hiring someone. I hope this helps you on the road to discovery! Good luck!
A Realtor is a real estate agent that belongs to the National Association of Realtors and exhibits a strong code of ethics. You can see their designation as follows: REALTOR®
