Home buying is exciting! It’s tempting to jump in with both feet and when embarking on your house hunting adventure, but take a moment to pause and consider that hiring the right Realtor can make or break your deal. It’s worth your time to do research to make sure that you’ve found the best professional Real Estate Agent available in your market. With that in mind, what do you need to consider when choosing a Real Estate Agent?
Glowing Client Reviews
It doesn’t matter how great a Realtor tells you they are… what matters is how great their clients say that they are! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about the Realtor you’re considering working with, as the best way to predict a Realtor’s future performance is their past performance. Previous clients are not going to sugar coat their reviews if they didn’t have a truly wonderful experience. You owe it to yourself to work with a Realtor who cares about customer service, responsiveness, and strives to make all parties happy. Check out my reviews on Google, Zillow, and Facebook.
Education
It is absolutely critical that you hire a highly-educated, experienced Real Estate Agent. Unfortunately for buyers, it’s not difficult for people to launch a new career selling real estate, and this sets a low bar for professional quality. Just because someone has a real estate license does not necessarily mean that they are qualified to guide you seamlessly through the negotiation, inspection and transaction process. You owe it to yourself to work with a go-getter who has spent the time and money investing in educating themselves. A Realtor who has earned advanced professional designations (like CRS: Certified Residential Specialist and GRI: Graduate of the Realtor Institute) is someone who cares about providing their clients with the best buying experience possible. You are about to make one of the largest purchases in your life, and it is essential to hire someone who is truly the expert you expect them to be.
Track Record of Success
When was your Realtor’s last sale? How many homes did they sell last year? Do they work in real estate full time or is this merely a side gig? Your needs will be best served if you hire an agent who is actively and consistently working in their market, and understands the complexities unique to buying a property in that area. Someone who only sells a couple of houses a year or isn’t living and working in the area where they’re selling properties is not going to be someone who can give you the best advantage in the market.
Local Knowledge
Real estate is a local business that should be conducted by local professionals with hands-on local knowledge. From neighborhood to neighborhood and town to town, real estate conditions are unique and constantly changing. If you want to work with a true expert, you should partner with a Realtor who lives in the community where they are selling homes and can personally speak to what it’s like to live there.
Personality Fit
Remember, the “best” Realtor for one client may not be the best for another. In addition to all the considerations already mentioned, the right personality fit is just as critical. You are entering into what will be a long-term (and hopefully) life-long relationship with your Real Estate Agent, and it pays to work with someone who is responsive and attentive to your needs, has your back, and makes the process fun.
As you’re starting your home search at the Oregon Coast, please consider calling me to see if we’ll be a good fit to work with each other. I look forward to hearing from you to talk about your real estate goals!