How to find the best real estate agent in today’s market

By Katie Johnson

Selling your home can be a very daunting task as it is not something most people are familiar
with nor know much about. The best route to take for most is to find a realtor who is able to help
you through the process and make your life much easier. While it will cost more than selling it
yourself, a realtor is a professional home seller and can save you some much-needed time and
money.

Finding the best real estate agent for your needs isn’t always an easy task as they are many
different realtors out there and every realtor is different. We are going to looks at a few things
you should consider when looking for a real estate agent.

Take the time to really get to know the real estate agent

Real estate agents work off of commission and sometimes this can drive real estate agents to
do more of what will earn them the most money instead of making sure that you are 100%
satisfied. When you meet with them, let them know exactly what you are expecting and pay
close attention to how they work and see if they truly have your interests in mind. If a realtor
keeps pushing you toward houses outside of your budget or does not offer the things that you
are wanting, it may be a good time to look for a new realtor as they most likely are putting their
priorities ahead of yours.

Look for an agent who has your goals in mind, not their check

Ensure that they have the time to help you on your schedule

While most home selling situations are a long process, some may need urgent attention due to
time constraints from work. Finding a realtor that is more readily available can make this
process much easier as the best realtors work outside of normal work hours to help close their
sales more quickly. These real estate agents are well aware of the lifestyle of busy people and
with kids, your time can be very scarce. Find someone who is willing to go the extra mile and

help you at any time of the day to get your home sold or answer any questions that you may
have.

Find someone who is a long time local

A realtor who is a long time local can be a huge asset as they know the community is respected
by many locals and can help really give you the buying power that you need in the market that
you are in. People who have grown up in a certain neighbourhood and have eventually become
real estate agents have an advantage in selling homes as they know exactly where everything
is, can answer just about any questions, and can provide buyers with the information that they
need. This can be anything from local school districts, crime rate, and overall neighborhood atmosphere. Finding a local realtor is not very hard for most cities but it is one thing you will
want to check when the time comes.

Check for references

A good tactic to use when picking your realtor is to ask for references or do a little bit of online research yourself. References from other people who have used that particular realtor are going to be a great way to see how happy they were when they used them. A realtor can talk themselves up all day, but when it comes to real-world reviews, customers rarely lie. You can ask your realtor themselves for any references to make your job a little easier, but to get the best, non-biased answers, you are going to want to ask around for anyone who has used them to give you their thoughts on how well of a job they did.

Ask how long they have been registered

While meeting with your realtor, one question that you will want to ask is how long they have been certified and how long they have been with their current company. This will give you a quick analysis of how good of a realtor they are based on their work history and history in the industry. Those who have been with a company for a while have been there for a reason and that usually means that they are good at their job. For those who have been certified for a while, you can rest assured that they have the experience needed to assist you in any way possible.

Ensure that they are actually listening to you

When you are meeting with your realtor, you will want to ensure that they are actually listening to what you want instead of just assuming what they think you may like or pushing you toward a different style of the home than what you are looking for. This can easily be seen after you give them your initial list of wants vs needs and see what they come back with on their first round of homes to look at.

Ask them questions to test them

Feel free to interview the agent when you are meeting with them. Research common real estate questions and “test” them to see how well they actually know the industry. This can really separate the ones who are good at selling themselves vs the ones who are actually good at selling your home. Most realtors will be more than happy to answer any question that you may have.

So there you have it, a few different ways to find the best realtor, feel free to read more about
the realtor and real estate market to make a more informed realtor decision.