How to Choose a Realtor That’s Right For You

It’s a strange thing, isn’t it, needing someone to help you go buy something?

“How old am I…” you think to yourself “…that I need someone to help me go buy something? I don’t need someone to help me pick out groceries. I can get a movie ticket by myself. Even dad has stopped tagging along when I go to buy a new car.”

And yet, it’s the expected norm when going to go buy a house to bring along someone to help you make a decision.

Aside from your investment portfolio (…ugh…sorry to mention it, but it might actually help make the point), about the only thing you go buy with a complete stranger is your home. In selecting that individual that’s going to help you, it’s prudent to put together a list of those things that are important to you, to make sure that said individual can follow through with what they say they can deliver. After all, if you were going to pay someone to help you buy a movie ticket, you’d certainly have a question or two for them…

“Is this a waste of $10?”

“Have you seen the movie?”

“Do you watch lots of movies regularly?”

…so you’re certainly not going to buy a home with this person’s help without asking a few questions, right?

Right?… (No, seriously, say “right!”…it’s not a rhetorical question…)

“Why do I need to ask them questions? She says she’s been in the business for 9 years, isn’t that enough? I didn’t want to think about this, I just want to go see some pretty houses and buy one.”

*facepalm*

No.

Well, yes, you can go see some pretty houses, but no, you have work to do first. You’re in the driver’s seat. You need to have some confidence that the person showing you the pretty houses will be able to get the home for you when you find it. So what should you do, and what should you look for in this individual?

• Experience Does Count - Someone who has been in the business through the ups and downs is going to be in a better position to deal with issues that arise than someone who is newer, no matter how much of a ‘go getter’ they are. How many transactions have they closed this year? How many clients are they working with right now?
• Make Sure When You Need Them That They’re Available - Collect their cell number, and e-mail address right away. Don’t be afraid to call with questions. Don’t be afraid to call them if you spot a new home on the market before they do. Make sure they call you back when they say they’re going to and within a reasonable time frame.
• Establish A Good Repartee With Your Agent - Although this is a professional relationship… Be yourself. Your agent needs to know you and know your objectives to best represent you. Be vocal, and don’t leave your agent guessing. It sounds obvious, but your agent isn’t psychic, and that which you don’t tell them, they might not know.
• Make Sure They Are A Full Time Agent - A listed property is available to be seen 24/7 on the internet. If you’re the buyer or seller, there will be times that questions arise and should be answered immediately. Transactions don’t respect a clock. Your ability to contact your representative should not be hindered by your agent’s other endeavors. Would you go to a part time dentist? Want to be operated on by a part time surgeon?
• Make Sure They’re A Realtor - There are ethical standards in place for Realtors for a reason. An unguided salesperson is a ship adrift, in any industry.
• Ask Them If They Have Referrals / Past Clients That You Can Speak To - Or better yet see if they have ratings on some popular real estate review websites. There’s no way of getting to know someone faster than hearing all about them from past clients.
• After You Ask Questions, Listen To What They’re Telling You - Did what they said make sense? Did you need to ask them to clarify more than once? Are they explaining things to you so that you understand what’s going on? Do they make you feel confident?
• Don’t Assume Your Agent Isn’t Going To Challenge You - You did, after all, select this person to help you with something you don’t know very much about. Rely on them to formulate an opinion based on what their experience has taught them. If it’s not what you want to hear, go get another opinion. But don’t shop until you find someone who agrees with you. Shop until you sense that your agent is being honest with you, and what your realistic goals are, and should be. And then, listen to what they’ve said.
• Look For Those Things that Make This Agent Stand Out - It doesn’t have to be bells and whistles, but it might be. Look at their continuing education. Look at their presence on social media sites. Do they know what a blog is? Do you know more about what they’re doing than they do?

It’s a challenge, it’s true. We’re almost to the age (one could argue that we’re here now) where every single individual in a service industry is rated somewhere, so that you can see how well they do what they do. But until then, and even when that’s the case, you should find a representative that you like, who you like working with, go look at or sell a pretty house, and get what you want.

If you’d go online to see how “that new movie” got rated this past weekend, then you’ve got all the makings of someone who can ask a few simple questions of a prospective agent to find out if it’s a relationship that will be mutually beneficial. But you have to ask… a lot… of questions first.

You: “Is the movie any good.”

Them: “It was an affront to the senses, actually. It should be burned with fire and holy water.”

You: “Golly. Thanks for that. You just saved me ten bucks!”

You’ve probably got at least that invested in the home you’re buying or selling. You probably ought to have a question or two ready for the person that’s helping then, no?

Jeffry H. Goldsmith
Broker/Attorney
Goldsmith Realty, Inc.
410-599-8312
goldsmithrealty@aol.com
http://www.bmorehomeblog.com