Your realtor will guide you along the home buying or selling process and they have the ability to make or break this experience for you. Know what to look for when searching for a real estate agent and be sure to contact several agents before deciding which is right for you. Read on to gain a better understanding of the characteristics and skills that are vital for your realtor to have to ensure you have a smooth experience.
Familiarity With Local Area
It’s something that almost doesn’t need to be said, however there are real estate agents who move to a new area and start trying to sell and buy homes. It’s best to find an agent who is very familiar with the area and has worked there for many years. They can offer additional information that you may not otherwise know and their knowledge of the area can improve your experience. Moreover, if they have worked in the area for a while they will have grown their network of other realtors which can be used in your favor.
Real Estate Experience
It’s vital to find a realtor with real estate experience, however you should be sure that their experience is relevant to your situation. You might not want to buy a house with a realtor who specializes in selling homes. Ask questions and get referrals before hiring a realtor to ensure you’re getting someone with skills suited for your situation. Most of us don’t have a lot of experience with real estate so we rely on relators to make sure the process goes smoothly – and it’s your job to find a realtor who can do that.
Listens More Than Speaks
Most realtors are strong communicators and have developed advanced social skills. Something to look for when you’re talking to the realtor before you decide to work with them is if they are also good listeners. The ideal realtor will listen to you more than they speak. They should have a solid understanding of your wants and needs and you should not be hesitant to voice them. Selling or buying a property is your decision and the realtor should not be pushing you in any way, they should be working to understand you in order to provide more support.
Professional Skills
This may be difficult to gage simply by talking to a real estate agent, but you should be able to get a feel for an agent’s professional skills from online reviews and referrals. A realtor must be organized and on time. Clearly, most are busy and may be late due to unforeseen circumstances but for the most part you should not have to wait for your realtor at showings or wait days to contact listing agents. Be sure to ask the agent what days and hours they work and how long they should expect to hear back from them when you reach out.
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Compatible With You
Unless you’re the type of person who buys the first property they see or accepts the first offer when selling a house, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with your realtor. Make sure that your personalities are compatible. You don’t have to be best friends with your realtor but you should try to find one that you feel comfortable with and who adds value to the real estate experience.
Negotiation Skills
When you’re buying or selling a home you want to have the realtor with the strongest negotiation skills. Otherwise, you may actually pay more or accept less for a house than you should. Don’t take this as meaning that you don’t need to have negotiation skills, because you certainly do. But you should make sure that your agent does as well because they will be speaking with the other agents on your behalf. Your agent will guide you in the negotiation process and may make suggestions, but ultimately the real decision making is up to you. Learn a few negotiation tactics to ensure the best outcomes in real estate and many other aspects of your life.
Questions To Ask Realtors
We put together 12 questions to ask realtors to help you find the right one. Here is the link to download the PDF and below is a preview of it:
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Rebecca & Tiago, theloadedpig.com