BY RON BARLAY
For twenty five years, I have been selling and buying real estate. Throughout my career, I have always depended on referrals. My experience has transferred into extensive knowledge of the real estate market. It has also meant I understand what great service is. I try my utmost to provide excellent service to all my clients. Whether they are buying a modest town-home or selling their lakeside mansion, everyone deserves good service. I love being a real estate agent and my passion for the business hasn’t waned. This drive provides me with fuel as I strive to assist all my clients. Being a good real estate agent is about providing great service.
I often get referred to my clients’ family or friends. And when I am meeting with potential clients for the first time, I tell them that finding the best agent is about finding someone who listens to them thoroughly, understands the market extensively and conducts themselves ethically and honestly.
If you are considering hiring an agent to help you buy or sell a home, do your research. Considering you will be making one of the most important financial decisions of your life, it is imperative you do your homework before making the final choice about an agent.
Ask your friends and family if they can recommend an agent. Agents are successful when they make customer satisfaction their top priority. Agents get referred when they go above and beyond their customers’ expectations.
Of course, search the Web. Jazzy websites are not assurances that those agents are of great quality, but they will give you a feel and a sense about them. Check out their listings. See if they have experience in your neighborhood. Consider how big or little their team is, do they have support that will lend to quicker and better service. Look at their customer testimonials. Do these referrals seem realistic and are they singing suitable praises.
Finding the right person to work with you to buy or sell real estate can take some time. And while it is very important to do your homework, it is also very important that you have good “chemistry” with your agent. You need to be able to communicate with your agent. You need to feel comfortable with your agent. You need to “feel” yourself. After all, buying or selling real estate can be stressful. Your perfect agent takes some of that stress away.
Here are a few telltale signs that your real estate agent isn’t working hard for you.
They keep you waiting: Hard-working real estate agents do what it takes to respond promptly to their clients. No good agent is ever without their cell phone or other mobile device, so there’s no excuse for being left hanging. Even if he or she can’t give you a firm answer immediately, your real estate agent should at least touch base with you and let you know that they are working on it.
They are unprofessional: There are plenty of real estate agents out there, so there’s no need to put up with unprofessional behaviour. Does your agent show up when they say they will, or do they cancel on you at the last minute? Have you ever been stood up by your real estate agent? How organized are they? These things all reflect the level of professionalism. You shouldn’t have to compromise on this at all.
They don’t listen: A huge part of a real estate agent’s job is to listen closely to their clients. Your agent should completely understand your needs, and they should use that information to make your home buying or selling experience as smooth and easy as possible. If you tell your agent you’re looking for three bedroom homes, for example, and they show you two bedroom homes, something is amiss.
They are sketchy: Your real estate agent shouldn’t cut corners or engage in other types of sketchy behaviour. If your agent’s tactics make you uncomfortable, they aren’t really working hard for you. They are just doing the bare minimum to earn their commission and that’s unfair. Be especially wary of outrageous claims. Do they make good on them? If they let you down again and again, they are not the real estate agent for you.
The minute you meet your real estate agent for the first time, you should be filled with confidence in their abilities. In other words, they should make a great first impression.
