Possibly one of the more frequently asked questions when buying or selling a house/property is how to choose a Realtor®. You may be thinking “There are so many, how do I know which one to choose?”, “Who will do the best job for me?”, “How do I know they will be working in my best interest?”, or “I see her name all over town so she has to be the best, right?”
All of these are valid questions when choosing a Realtor®. It is important to find someone that will be working in your best interests and trying their hardest to obtain the best deal possible. When choosing a Realtor® there really isn’t a right or wrong way to go about it; but hopefully answering the questions stated above will help give you a little more direction in your search.
“There are so many, how do I know which one to choose?” – While there are many to choose from some agents do shine above others. As you have more experiences with Realtors® you will begin to notice some who, for example, return calls promptly and more frequently than others, are well versed on a variety of different areas, have a plan of attack when listing houses on how to get them sold rather than simply waiting for calls, and have superior negotiating skills to get the best price possible.
“Who will do the best job for me?” – The answer to this question depends more upon you than anything. Think of your co-workers, and which ones you get along with the best. Do your personalities match, are they fun to be around, or are they just easy going? You will be working with your Realtor®, making phone calls to him, and hopefully meeting to sign documents frequently during the process. Would you rather be working with someone you like to be around, or with someone you can’t stand the sound of their voice?
“How do I know he/she will be working in my best interest?” – This question is answered by word of mouth and how you perceive your Realtor®. Usually in smaller communities word spreads quickly if someone were to practice bad business. In larger areas it may be a little more difficult to realize these facts, but overall a quick perception of someone’s demeanor will be able to tell you if they are honest or not, along with asking around to see if anyone has had experience with that particular Realtor®.
“I see her name all over town so she has to be the best, right?” – Usually when you see a specific Realtor’s® name quite frequently on signs it usually means they must be doing something right if all of these different homeowner’s are listing with that Realtor®. Although, even if a Realtor® is extremely busy and has many listings her/she might not be the right fit. When Realtor’s® have multiple listings they may, but not always, become spread thin and may not be able to service your house to the fullest extent someone else might be able to.
Overall, it comes down to personal choice in the end. Would you rather have someone that is very well know yet extremely busy, or someone that is less know but has more time to service your house? And do you want to enjoy being around them, or will it strictly be a business relationship. All in all there are a few things every Realtor® should exhibit in their work such as: Follow the seller/buyer’s lawful instructions; Be loyal to the seller/buyer; Promote the seller/buyer’s best interests; Disclose material facts to the seller/buyer; Maintain confidential information; Act with reasonable skill and care; Account for any money handled in the transaction. If a Realtor® or real estate agent you are currently working with is not exhibiting any or all of these attributes you should definitely be finding someone else to represent you.
Blog Post Written by Warren J. Straley
