Are you ready to sell your house? If so, you’ve come to the right place for help.
Prepping your home for the real estate market is full of challenges and pitfalls. That’s why you need to make sure you have the right team in place to attract the highest offers possible.
A skilled real estate agent can make all the difference. Unfortunately, real estate agents aren’t created equal. Thus you need to know how to pick the one who can best serve your needs.
This article takes a look at choosing agents. Keep reading to get the inside scoop on how to hire a realtor who can market your home effectively.
1. A Good Real Estate Agent Should Come Highly Recommended
Finding a good agent can be challenging. After all, there are tons to choose from. So how can you know where to start looking?
The first step is to ask friends and family to recommend realtors in your area. This will save a lot of time, plus you’ll have the benefit of opinions from people you trust.
Don’t be afraid to ask specifically about their personal experiences with various realtors, what they like and didn’t like, and whether or not they’d consider working with that person again in the future.
2. A Good Agent Should Understand the Current Market
It’s also important to work with a realtor who truly understands current trends in the real estate market, especially in the area where you live.
You might find a realtor with great people skills, a lovely personality, and plenty of contacts, but they also need to have their finger on the pulse of the market so that they can guide you effectively and get the best possible offers for your home.
A smart agent will know how to position your home, market it effectively, and how to avoid listing it at the wrong time of year. All of this is extremely important in moving your home fast, and at the maximum price, so that you can find a new place to live and get on with your life.
For instance, if you live in the coastal areas of Maui, you’ll want an agent who knows the unique dynamics of that market. This includes understanding seasonal fluctuations and local demand, which will be crucial when finding a buyer’s agent on Maui who can navigate these nuances effectively. A realtor who understands the local market will also be able to accurately price your home for sale and negotiate with potential buyers.
3. They Should Have Plenty of Experience
When it comes to finding a realtor, it’s really hard to put a price on experience. After all, experience is something that can’t be gained overnight. It takes years of work in the industry and hundreds of sales in order to understand how to best advise their clients.
A new agent might have tons of energy and ambition, but they won’t have the experience to have developed top-notch instincts for navigating a crowded and competitive marketplace.
The best realtors will have invested years getting to know every aspect of the local market, building relationships with other realtors and clients, and developing a strong professional network they can use to your benefit.
Newer agents might be talented but experience takes time, and it’s almost impossible to overstate the value of a realtor who’s spent decades working with clients in a specific area, amassing a network of contacts that simply cannot be built overnight.
4. They Should Have a Solid Track Record
You should also be interested in researching a realtor’s track record with past clients. Do they work hard to please their clients? Has the realtor been successful in helping a wide range of clients market, sell, and buy homes, especially during downturns in the market?
Believe it or not, realtors who’ve been in the business for decades might not be effective at helping clients fulfill their dreams. In other words, they need to be able to show results for the years they’ve worked in the industry and to give you confidence that they can reproduce those results for you.
5. They Should be Respected within the Industry
Never underestimate the value of reputation within the real estate industry. After all, real estate is actually a very small world. Everyone knows everyone else, and word travels fast.
You need to work with a realtor who is highly respected among their peers. Why? Because real estate is a competitive industry, and being respected on the inside doesn’t happen by accident, and respect has to be earned.
That’s why it’s important to talk to other realtors in your community. It won’t take long to get the inside scoop and you’ll quickly discover who can be trusted along with which realtors you’d be wise to avoid.
Here’s a great resource for discount real estate agents.
6. They Should be Skilled Communicators
Communication is another important aspect of choosing a realtor. Your agent should move fast, and keep you updated on what’s happening with your home.
Many realtors get in the bad habit of cultivating radio silence, and essentially cutting clients out of the loop as they go about making important marketing decisions on their own.
Look for an agent who will keep you involved, offer advice, and update you on a regular basis.
7. They Should Treat You with Respect
Keep in mind that there’s no shortage of real estate agents in the world. So there’s no reason to work with one who treats you with a lack of respect.
Because while realtors are busy people, you deserve to be prioritized. And if they don’t have time for you, simply find someone who will.
Showing respect to clients is also just a part of acting like a professional. Thus it’s important to never let a realtor snap at you or take you for granted. When this happens, let them know how you feel about the relationship, and never hesitate to move on.
8. They Should Return Calls Promptly
Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for many realtors to fail to return client calls. And yet this is totally unacceptable. In fact, if your agent failed to return your call within the hour, or at least by the end of the day, it might be time to have a serious talk about continuing to work together.
A Guide to Choosing Agents who can Sell Your Home Fast
Real estate is a complex business. That’s why you need to work with a talented professional. Fortunately, these tips for choosing agents will help make the process of selling your home as pleasant as possible.
Keep scrolling to discover more great real estate tips and advice on our blog.
