| WELCOME TO THE 2018 LAKE LIVINGSTON REAL ESTATE GUIDE |
| How to Choose Your Agent | ||||||||||||
| Whether you're looking to buy or sell a property, you need a real estate agent. A good one. The best, preferably. If you have little or zero experience with real estate, how do you know if an agent is any good? Here are a few tips to help you choose your real estate agent. The one that is right for you, because that's what really matters. | ||||||||||||
| Interview several real estate agents No matter where you live, there will be many real estate agents willing to take your business, which gives you plenty of choice. Don't make any rash decisions, because this is serious business involving a lot of money. Even if you find it tedious, talk to several people, take notes and compare. |
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| Look for chemistry If there's something that seems off when you first meet an agent, it's best to go with your guts. The whole process is going to take a while so you need to feel comfortable talking to your agent. And there's going to be a lot to talk about. You want someone you can relate to, someone who seems willing to listen and understand your needs. |
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| Ask around, but do your own research Things are way easier when you're selling a house. You know people in the neighborhood, you have friends at work, maybe family living in the area. Some of them surely know a real estate agent they've worked with. Get a few names, but don't ever rely on what others tell you. You need to do your due diligence and check them out. References are important, but you should also google every name to see if any interesting story comes up. Look on forums where people share positive as well as negative experiences, look on Yelp, and, of course, check the social media accounts of all the agents you're considering. |
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| Do they seem knowledgeable? When you first meet with an agent, have a list of questions to ask. Have them talk about the neighborhood, its strong points and its weak points. See if they can go into details about school, recreation areas, criminality and so on. Also, ask their opinion on the average price for the property you want to buy or sell. You've probably looked at the listings in the area so you sort of know what to expect, but it's worth seeing what they have to say. Don't forget to ask about market trends and long-term prospects for the area. If their answers seem vague and they give you a lot of fluff instead of facts and hard figures, they probably don't have much experience with real estate investment in that particular neighborhood or the real estate business in general. What you want is an agent who's done business in the area before and has contacts and lists of properties you might be interested in. |
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| Who are they really working for? You or them? You know that feeling when you walk into a store and some lady sidles up to you and starts pushing items in your face without really bothering to ask what you're looking for? If an agent does that to you, it's obvious they're not going to look after your interests, but rather try to talk into buying whatever properties they can't sell. You need a real estate agent who understands what you need and tries to come up with offers that meet your requirements, rather than one who tries to make you change your mind. |
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| Are they readily available? This is essential because in most cases people who are buying or selling a house need to do that while also juggling a job and a family. You need an agent who shows a lot of flexibility and is willing to take up your calls and answer your emails promptly even after regular business hours. Also, a good agent must be willing to answer all your questions, no matter how silly or irrelevant they might find them. You don't know much about this business so it's OK to have many questions, doubts, etc. |
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| Do they have a solid network? Buying or selling a property is a complex process involving lots of people in various areas. You might need an attorney or a house inspector, can they supply some names or do they shrug? If you're looking to sell a house you might need repairmen to fix things up a bit, can they help you with that? If the agent works with a solid firm they probably have a good support network and this will come in very handy. |
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| Bottom line, when you're looking for an agent make sure it's someone with plenty of experience and good knowledge of the market. Only hire an agent you feel comfortable talking to and is always there to answer your questions. | ||||||||||||
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