The real estate landscape can be difficult to navigate, especially if you’ve had little or no experience dealing with its ins and outs. If you lack the necessary skills, knowledge, or even confidence to buy or sell a piece of property, it’s best to acquire the services of a real estate agent.
Having the right agent by your side can mean avoiding costly mistakes. An agent can also speed up the sale and purchase of a home. Look for one that’s the right fit for you by considering the following tips:
-
Talk to friends or family for recommendations
Friends and family are good sources of real estate agent referrals. Your close ties mean they’ll give you their best advice. In a recent survey, 42% of buyers went with agents that were recommended to them by friends, relatives, and neighbors.
-
Check their license and credentials
Your agents must be licensed before they can conduct their business. Check with the appropriate local government regulating body to confirm if a prospective agent is licensed. You may also confirm an agent’s credentials with the corresponding real estate organization they’re affiliated with. Search online.
-
Figure out their level of experience
Avoid dealing with someone who’s still learning the ropes. Find out how long your potential agent has had their license or how long have they been working in the area. Your local real estate regulating body can provide the answers, or you can ask the agent yourself. Work with someone who has at least five years’ worth of experience.
-
Determine their tech-savviness
Traditional methods of real estate marketing are pretty much passé. Today, the best methods of finding and selling property are online because that’s where a lot of buyers start their shopping. Multiple listing services (MLS), websites, online real estate marketplaces, and social media—these are the weapons that a real estate agent should have in their marketing arsenal.
-
Get referrals
Ask a potential agent to furnish you with a list of the properties they’ve sold in the past year, along with contact information of their buyers and sellers. Get in touch with these clients and ask their opinion about the agent. Questions to ask include how long the property was on the market, how much the property sold for, and what the asking price was. The answers will tell you how quick the turnover was, and if the agent managed to help the client net great savings or profits from the transaction. Browse reviews online.
-
Check their current listings
Check the agent’s listings on their website or MLS sites such as Trulia, Zillow, or Realtor.com. Look at the marketing methods they use for clients. Do they look appealing? If their selling methods look effective, chances are they can do the same for your property.
Need help with selling or buying a property? Thirty4 North Properties Group has had more than 25 years of experience in high-end real estate along the East Coast. Call 910-821-3510 to ask us for referrals or schedule a consultation.