Finding the Right Agent for You

Do you really need a real estate agent? If you’ve got the time to buy or sell a home without engaging the services of one, it’s a free country and no one will force you to use one. In fact, a lot of people have successfully purchased and/or sold their homes on their own and have nothing but good things to say about the experience. But unless you make yourself aware of all the documents, constantly changing real estate laws out there and (if you’re selling) know precisely what price to ask for your home based on market activity, it may become more time-consuming and complicated than you thought when you pounded that “for sale by owner” sign into your lawn.

Real estate agents come in all shapes and sizes, experience levels and personalities. They are your sisters or brothers, your friends, your neighbors, your ex-coworkers and perhaps even ex-school chums. Their faces are on billboards, calendars, football schedules and shopping cart seats. They’re everywhere! And most of them are really great folks. By the way, only members of the local and national Board of Realtors can refer to themselves as Realtors®, who adhere to a strict code of ethics and professionalism.

But how do you find not just any agent but the right agent to sell your home, find you a home or just send you in all the right directions when you need some real estate expertise? Someone tried and true, who has served your family in the past, is, of course, a good first place to turn. Loyalties run high with these individuals, as you have both become household words to one another. Just make sure these individuals are familiar with either the neighborhood in which your home resides (if you’re selling) or the place you’d like to move. If not, ask for a qualified referral.

Choosing a qualified real estate professional can mean all the difference in the world, sometimes saving you thousands of dollars because of their keen skills at negotiating, their local market knowledge and their responsibility to keep you protected legally during a transaction.

Before making a final decision, you may want to interview several agents and pose the questions below. If you are buying, the list is shorter:

• Do you help me by offering some recommendations about neighborhoods and properties that fit my particular price range and suit my lifestyle?

• Can you guide me in seeking financing and are you versed on the various types of loan programs that would be best for me?

• Will you be honest with me if I seem to be going in the wrong direction with my home-buying preferences in terms of choosing a house with good equity-growth potential?

• Once you’ve found a home you want, how talented are you at negotiating (offers and counter-offers) and getting the best price for me?

• Can you handle all the issues that may surface related to inspections? Contingency dates?

• Are you willing to show me anything on the market that may suit my needs no matter what commission is offered to you as the buyer’s agent?

If you are selling, the list can go on and on:

• Are you a full-time agent or is this something you do on the side?

• Can you create target-marketing strategies to sell my home based on research of the current market and each property competing with mine?

• Besides listing my house on the Multiple Listing Service, how extensively do you use the Internet to expose my property to the widest pool of potential buyers? On how many web sites will my house appear and why do you use them?

• What other local or regional media do you use to advertise my home?

• Will you hold open houses, tell me about homes that compete with mine, talk to me about what I should do to ready my property to get the highest possible price and even how to merchandise it here and there to appeal to the widest range of buyers?

• What goes into making up the estimate of value you would suggest?

• Are you good at contracts and the many disclosures I will have to present to potential buyers?

• Will you screen prospective buyers and review their offers before bringing them to me?

• Will you assist me with repairs, inspections, and any other conditions of the sale that may arise?

• Will you be there for me during the closing period, letting me know what is happening all along the way and to make sure the closing date is observed by the buyers and the buyers’ agent?

Last but not least, make sure you have an excellent rapport with your agent. Years of expertise are valuable, but sometimes an enthusiastic rookie who has the time, recent training and the desire to work their tails off for you can be just as valuable as using veterans of the trade. Real estate veterans, of course, have proven that they have staying power, dedicating themselves to the industry - but that doesn’t necessarily make them more suited to your needs. You can look up agent profiles on their various branded web sites or ask them for a resume to see how much exposure they have had to the business; you can also ask for references and call people who have dealt with them in the past.

But whether you use a proven long-timer, or eager new-timer, ethics, honesty, personality and expertise are what to look for. Buying or selling a home is all about you and not about them. As long as their focus is on your needs, that’s what counts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the author: Northern California resident Dena Kouremetis is a 21-year veteran in the real estate industry. Unlike some real estate journalists, she not only writes about the industry but also has spent time in the trenches of real estate sales, business development, new home construction, demographics and market research. She has written, co-authored and consulted for several books (including Dearborn Trade’s The HomeBuyers Kit and The Homeseller’s Kit), and her articles have appeared in the pages of newspapers, magazines and online real estate venues over the past ten years.

TotalMove.com invites you to share her insights, expertise, humor and common sense whether you spend time renting or purchasing real estate -- or just like spend time reading about it.