Why you need to be cautious hiring a Realtor?
Real estate agents are like college english professors– everyone has one and majority of them aren't worth a darn. Within the past two years over 150,000 real estate agents joined the business. For anyone who may not know, the barrier to entry in real estate isn't all that high. Just like majority of "sales or service" style positions, 80-90% of transactions are done by the top 10-20% of agents. Matter of fact, majority of agents in the U.S close only 1 deal a year, and some don't do any.
When picking an agent, you need somebody that knows the market inside and out. After all, that is a large reason why you hire us in the first place. It takes years of being in your market to understand trends. Are there new developments going up? Is there is a huge apartment complex planned to be developed behind your desired neighborhood?
The other thing to look out for is knowledge of the process. Incompetence is a non-starter in my book. Trust me, I deal with them on a day-to-day basis. I see more deals fall through due to incompetence than I would care to admit. *When hiring your agent, make sure you vet them thoroughly– they should know every aspect of the process* Think of the following: What can we do to make our offer stick out if there are multiple bidders? If I want to install a pool down the road, what tests/inspections/surveys do I need to get completed to make sure I am able to? If we want to get a buy-down covered by the seller, how do we go about adjusting that into our offer price?
Treat this like a job interview. You are effectively hiring us to perform a service at the end of the day. We are here to help you buy or sell real estate and advise you properly throughout the process.
Pay attention to their communication skills. How quickly do they respond to your calls, texts, emails. If they are taking an entire day to get back to you, they will do the same or worse to other agents and vendors. This can cause you to loose out on properties you might really love.
Vetting your Agent checklist:
- Treat it like an interview
- Pay attention to communication
- Ask for referals
- Read reviews
- Look for social presence
- Asking about their local knowledge
- Go with someone you trust
At the end of the day– for majority of individuals, real estate will be the largest investment you make. Do you trust sally from tennis club with your largest investment? Maybe, that is for you to decide. Just remember to vet out your agents thoroughly! Go on google and read that agents reviews!! Just like you would a restaurant. Look through his/her social media accounts, website, blog etc. VET YOUR AGENT PEOPLE!
Posted by Carson Hulak on
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