WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SEARCHING FOR A REAL ESTATE AGENT?
There are many ways in which you can find a real estate agent, but not all of them are good and chances are – you will not be satisfied with every one of them. The best way to find a suitable real estate agent is to first check with you friends, family or colleagues and see if they know a good agent. Perhaps they used the services of an agent themselves or they know somebody who previously had a positive experience with a certain realtor. Either way, once you acquire a couple of names, it’s time to do your research! This means that you should go online and check as many facts about the agents in question, such as their education, licenses, possible awards (“Realtor of The Year” maybe?), and similar attributes. Narrow your search gradually and select one or two of your best options, and then contact them asking for a meeting. Face to face meeting is very important since it allows you to check if the agent has those features that you need from your personal real estate agent. Here are some of those characteristics.
Good communication skills are probably the first thing that you will notice on a good realtor, mostly because this job demands constant contact with people and agents have to be able to transmit their message loud and clear. However, communication is not only about speaking all the time and this means that a good real estate agent should also be a good listener. Knowing when to be silent and let your client do the talking is a big bonus when it comes to communication and the overall relation between a client and an agent.
The second thing that you will notice is the abundance/or lack of expertise since people who have a lot of knowledge and understanding of the matter will give you more precise and direct answers, while a less capable real estate agent will stay vague and often confusing. When it comes to knowledge, it is especially important that your real estate agent knows a lot about the situation in your region or your neighborhood and this means that they will easily provide you with the home you want or with a suitable customer in case you are selling. Connections with other colleagues and network of contacts can be the most valuable asset for any real estate agent, and you should definitely check if your potential realtor has those elements.
It is also important that your agent is creative and has good problem-solving skills, simply because there are a lot of changes during real estate transactions and things can become complicated in a matter of minutes. Being able to adapt to different people and different circumstances are also important features of a good real estate agent. However, besides being naturally skilled, it is very important that your potential agent is hardworking and that he or she will always put your interests in the first place. This will mean that you are satisfied and happy, which will be a good for the agent as well, since there is never enough satisfied customers.
