5 Characteristics of a Great Real Estate Agent
Buying or selling your home is stressful enough, and you’re going to need all of the help you can get. Whichever journey you’re embarking on, we recommend that you enlist the help of an experienced real estate professional. There are so many options out there to choose from for your perfect agent, some have more experience and knowledge than others, some are older, some younger, each one is different and can easily affect the process of buying or selling your home.
You want to work with someone who clearly loves their job, who makes you feel like the priority no matter how many clients they’re working with, and who does the work necessary to make you happy. To avoid running into a snag, make sure you hire a real estate agent that has the following characteristics to get you the results you deserve and desire.
Easy to contact
We’ve heard this so many times before; people come to us searching for a new real estate professional because the ones they have previously worked with didn’t work out. They complain about never being able to get in touch with them, and that they don’t seem like the real estate agent cares enough to return their calls. Luckily, there is a solution to all of this.
It’s easy to say that all you need is a great agent, but that isn’t the easiest thing to find. So do your research, look up reviews for any agent you come across and make sure people say that they’re great to work with and easy to contact. If you leave a message about an inquiry regarding the fact that you might want to work with them, you can always tell if they’re great by how long it takes for them to call you back, or if they even do. You never know when you’re going to drive by your next dream house or meet your prospective buyer, so you want to make sure you can call them at any time!
They know the neighborhoods
The worst thing you can find out after beginning to work with an agent is that they don’t know the area, especially if they don’t know the area better than you. Every agent should know every neighborhood like it’s the back of their hand. If they have trouble understanding the location of a house you’re interested in, then that should be a red flag.
When you’re initially interviewing agents to find the right one, see if you can determine their knowledge about the area. Ask them how long they’ve been located here and give them a few houses to recall from memory to see if they’ve been studying the listings, and not only should you ask about the location, but ask about the school districts and everything else that affects the price tag.
They make sure you’re included
While some people prefer to just tell their agent exactly what they need and only contact them when they’ve found something, we come across many people that want to be involved every step of the way, and that is great! We want you to be there to give your input on everything we do, where we look, the numbers and the house itself. A great agent calls you every step of the way and keeps you informed on anything and everything they’re doing. The client shouldn’t have to make all of the calls to the agent, rather the agent should be the one calling the client.
They do the extra work
The best agents do the work behind the scenes, they go above and beyond what you expect to get the buyer or the home you’ve been dreaming of at the price you want. They do the research before every meeting, before every visit to tour a home and they make sure that they match your exact needs with the homes that accommodate them. When you work with a great agent you learn so much about the process of buying or selling your home so that if you have to go through it again you’ll already know the ins and outs and what to expect.
They’ve got connections
When you work with an experienced real estate agent, they’re bound to have some connections. There’s nothing that makes you feel more special than when a real estate tells you not worry and speaks with a few of their connections to help make a deal. When it comes to battling for the home of your dreams you want an agent that does everything in their power to give you what you want. Having an agent that knows other agents can help you benefit from their relationships; it’s a great way for you to get a leg up, especially when there are other buyers competing for the same price.
Look for a real estate agent with these five great characteristics and the process of buying or selling your home will be easier than ever. At Merit Co we want to do just that; help you find the home of your dreams without having to do all of the work and without all of the stress. We stay in contact with you throughout the entire process and fill you in on every detail out there. Contact us to assist you in your search and one of our experienced team members would love to help!