How to Choose the Right Real Estate Agent: 4 Best Points

Picking a real estate agent is a lot more work than some may think.  You can’t take the first one you stumble upon unless you look into them thoroughly and find they’re luckily a perfect match.  You’re picking someone who’s going to charge you six percent of the home you’re buying or selling; that’s a lot of money!  Instead of blindly choosing a random person from the first website you find, use these tools to help pick a winner.

Talk To Friends And Family

There’s nothing as valuable as word of mouth.  Talk to those around you who have bought or sold homes, and ask if any of them can recommend the right agent.  People love to show off good agents or realtors because it means they got a great deal on their home or that they were able to sell for a fantastic price.

 

Don’t be afraid to post publicly to find out, but be aware that bots may spam you if you do this.  Any posts where you’re asking for this type of advice should be set to ‘friends or family only,’ or only accounts you follow can answer.  This behavior will keep bots at bay while allowing those you trust to tell you what they know.

Read Reviews

You wouldn’t want a piece of art on your wall without looking up the painting done by the artist first to make sure they are pretty, right?  This is just as big of a decision since a house can take up a considerable amount of your finances and life.  Look on sites like Yelp and Google Reviews to see what the consensus is on your prospective realtor.  Don’t be afraid to do a little digging if you have to!  See if they have been in the real estate career long enough. If you can’t find anything wrong, or the only nasty comments were from years ago, and you feel safe: it’s time to move on to formal interviews and introductions.

Interview and Ask Basic Questions

After you’ve collected your list of names and you’ve studied on your own- it’s time to interview.  You can do this by email, but most agents will try to talk over the phone where they’re more convincing and personable.  Ask them basic questions like “How much would a three-bedroom two bath cost in Jacksonville?” or “Should I rent or buy a house in this economy?”  Please pay attention to their answers and fact check after the point.  If you feel you can trust them, you may have found yourself an agent!

Find Out Their Rate Early On

Most real estate agents charge between three and six percent of your home’s price.  If you’re buying a four hundred thousand dollar home, that could mean you’re dropping between twelve thousand and twenty-four thousand dollars on this agent.  That’s a lot of money that you have to be ready to part with.  Ask early on about their fee before they start trying too hard to sink their teeth into you so that you can make sure you can afford them.  Otherwise, you could be dropping a pretty penny for them.

Conclusion: How to Choose the Right Real Estate Agent

Finding the right real estate agent is key to finding the best home for you and your family (pun not intended). There are a lot of agents that are the best in their fields, in their region. Your task is finding one, but unlike a needle in a haystack, there are ways to easily do it.

Talk to friends and family for recommendations. Read reviews from all around the web, and see which agent would standout for you. Interview and ask basic questions, and take notes, compare their answers to help you pick later on. Ask their rates earlier on so you already have an idea how much to spend. Also, trust your gut – it always works.