You may not realize it, but your real estate agent can do much more than just find you the right house. Whether you’re buying or selling, they have valuable information that can help you make important decisions before, during and after the process. Check out these tips to get the most out of your real estate agent and make sure you’re well taken care of every step of the way!
Does Your Realtor Care About Your Success?
How do you know if your real estate agent really cares about helping you find a home? How do you know if they are truly fighting for your best interests, or their own bottom line? Being an informed consumer means knowing what questions to ask and what to look out for when choosing a real estate agent. It means knowing how best to work with your real estate agent so that you both win. Here are some important questions to consider: Do they specialize in Buyer’s Agency or Seller’s Agency? What experience do they have working with buyers and sellers like me in my target market? How much time will they commit towards finding me a home before I need to start paying them a commission or any other fees?
For example, is the realtor company like the Zale Media who changed how realtors work online?
What Type of Customer Service Do They Provide?
Different agents will focus on different services and areas. For example, some are industry specialists, who are more knowledgeable about one niche area than others. But whether you’re looking for a multi-family agent or someone who specializes in listing your single-family home, you want to make sure they can handle it. Ask them questions such as: How many listings do you have in my neighborhood? or How long does it typically take for buyers to find homes in my area? If they don’t have answers to these questions (or any others), it might be time to look elsewhere.
Is Their Property Listing Database Comprehensive Enough for My Area?
If your real estate agent’s database isn’t extensive enough, they may not be able to help you find your dream home. It can also severely limit how quickly you can find a new property. Although most agents only use their database as a starting point, check to see if they make it easy for clients to search other sites, like Zillow or Trulia. If not, that could be an indicator that they are missing out on potential leads and opportunities; it might even prevent them from helping you find all available properties in your area.
Are They Up-to-Date on Technology Trends in Real Estate?
Just like any other profession, real estate agents have to be on top of their game. Technology has changed how people buy and sell homes in recent years, with companies like Redfin, Zillow and others changing consumer behavior. It’s imperative that your agent is educated on these new trends and stays up-to-date as technology evolves. If they’re not current with changes in Redfin or Trulia’s website design or don’t know how to use an automated valuation model (AVM), for example, you’ll end up paying a high price in both time and money over your real estate transaction—something you might be able to avoid if your agent was fully versed in how buyers search for houses today.