Buying or selling a home is no small feat, and it’s one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. That’s why finding a real estate agent with the experience to guide you through the process is key.
There’s no shortage of real estate agents vying for the job via online ads, postcards, and yard signs, but with so many professionals to choose from, finding the right one can feel overwhelming. Talk to Lez Gomez his team consists of partnerships with high performing Realtors. Lez has been working with the best of the best in the industry for several years.
What should you look for when you choose a real estate agent?
Behind every good real estate agent is a set of skills that make them a top choice when you’re looking to buy a home. What are these skills? They’ll vary depending on your needs, but at the very minimum, you should choose a real estate agent who has these three key qualities.
Experience:
It’s important to ask a potential agent how long they’ve been buying and selling homes, but don’t forget to dig a little bit deeper into their experience. Ask about their average list-price-to-sale-price ratio, as well as the amount of time it typically takes their clients to find and close on their new home. You’ll want to choose a real estate agent who has a proven track record of getting buyers into homes fast (and getting them a great deal, too).
Market Knowledge:
Every market is different. Whether you’re buying in a city, the suburbs, or the country, you’ll want a real estate agent who knows local market trends and patterns like the back of their hand and who can help guide you through the nuances of your specific locality. A good way to gauge local market knowledge is simply to ask. Inquire about the basics, like average time on the market for newly listed homes and average sale prices, but also ask about any unique trends regarding your local market that you should know about.
Positive reviews:
Online reviews are one of your best assets when it comes to choosing a realtor. Read all of the reviews that you can find before selecting who you’ll work with and look for an agent whose previous clients have only positive things to say about their experiences. (If there are any complaints, be sure to distinguish between complaints about the individual realtor versus complaints about the stress of the home buying process itself.)
Advice:
Always Take a close look at your contract:
Your contract should spell out all of the terms to which you’ve already agreed, including the real estate commission. Traditionally, the seller pays 6 percent of the sales price of the home for real estate commissions, with half going to their real estate agent and a half going to the buyer’s agent. The commission rate is negotiable, however, with the average commission landing closer to 5 percent in recent years.
Remember: there are a lot of real estate agents out there. And each of them has their own skills, specialties, and strengths. Give yourself plenty of time to choose a real estate agent who can benefit your buying process and who you will actually enjoy working with. The rest will fall into place.
