Real estate agents are all over the place; although there has been a decrease in the number of agents that are really active with the slowdown in the housing market. How do you really know what agent is producing results for their customers? Is it the agent with all the designations on their business card, or the agent with the multimillion dollar producer awards hanging on their office walls?
Even though these things are nice to look at and suggest that the agent is doing something right for their clients can you really tell if they are the right real estate agent for you? Probably not without talking to them and asking them some questions.
Marketing plans, advertising programs, Internet Websites and strategies do not make the real estate agent. All of these tools are available to any agent and given the chance to present their strategy to you, most will give you the same information. But, where the rubber meets the road is in the following list of questions:
What Kind Of Service Guarantee Do You Have?
Most agents worth their awards are not going to be bothered by putting their money where their mouth is by giving you some sort of service guarantee. After all, just about every quality company on the planet has some sort of money back guarantee or return policy for unhappy customers. Why should a real estate agent be any different? They shouldn’t.
A good agent who really produces results should let you go find another agent if you are unhappy with the service you are receiving from them. If they hesitate to put it on paper with you upfront, perhaps that is the time to move on before you sign any type of contract with them. This isn’t to suggest that the agent shouldn’t be compensated if they do their job and find you a home, or sell your home for you.
What Kind Of Team or Support Do You Have?
Whenever you are considering working with an agent you want to make sure that they are not too busy for you. A nightmare to stay away from is a very busy agent who does it all. There are many top notch agents who have teams to support them. They have people on their team who coordinate all the critical steps of the home purchase process, work with just buyers, work with just listings, and other duties. Make sure that you ask to get a list of names and contact numbers so that you can reach out and talk to a few of the team members. If you get a good feel for them on the phone you may have found your team.
How Quickly Do You Respond and How Do You Respond?
The answer to this question could be related to the one we just answered. Part of how an agent responds is with one of their team members. In other cases, the agent might handle certain types of calls and communications. They may only email and text message during the day and return phone calls during a certain part of the day. If you don’t know these things when you hire them you may be frustrated when they don’t get back to you when you want them to.
You need to ask yourself whether you are okay with their answers. Are you okay with getting an email instead of a phone call? Have the agent put something in writing that they guarantee getting back to you or someone from their team get back to you within a specified period of time.
Do Work As A Full Time Agent?
As a full time agent you get full time service. You also should get a real estate agent with their finger on the pulse of the market in your area. It is essential to have a tuned in agent, especially when you want to move on a hot property and need to take quick action. Sometimes part time agents have other agents support them when they are off the clock, which can work out for you. But there is nothing like the full time attention that a full time agent can provide.
With these tips in mind, and reviewing these tips: I Want To Hire A Real Estate Agent – What Do I Ask Them? you should have enough information to find an agent who is right for you. Good luck.
