What
should you look for in an Agent?
- A Full Time Professional who
knows the market and the market area.
- Someone with whom you feel
comfortable and can trust. After all, your house is your single largest asset,
and you want to be sure it is being handled by someone who has your best
interests in mind.
- Someone who is aggressive, and
who will not be intimidated by buyers or other agents.
- Someone who is willing to WORK
for you and your needs, such as scheduling and attending open houses, making
follow-up phone calls and visits, etc.
- And most important - someone
that you LIKE! It is important that you get along with your agent as you may be
working with them for several months. So therefore, being able to communicate
with each other honestly is a must.
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Should I work
with one Realtor or should I work with several?
This is a question I am asked constantly. I am
going to share both sides (the Realtor's and the buyer's) with you. But before
I do, let me give you some information about the business that you may not be
aware of. Real Estate Sales is a straight commission job.
What this means is that Real Estate Agents do
not get paid unless they make a Sale. Expenses such as gas, car, car phone,
lunches, gifts, board dues, MLS books - in other words all expenses, are out of
pocket. What does the Broker pay for? Office rental, use of a desk, phone, copy
machine, paper, fax machine, and in some cases, business cards and
institutional advertising.
Therefore, from the
Realtor's point of view, if a buyer is running around with more than one Agent,
they are taking the Agent's time away from buyers who are loyal to one
Realtor. |
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From the buyer's
point of view, they like to see more than one person working hard for them,
plus many buyers feel that certain offices may get wind of a new or exclusive
listing before another office.
The fact is -
if you work with a Full Time Professional Real Estate Agent, he or she will
know the market, know the area, be aware of exclusives through co-broking with
other offices, and be aware of For Sale By Owners (FSBO's) in the area.
Therefore, he or she will have your best interests at
heart.
When I am working with a buyer, I am
out almost every day previewing houses for them, weeding out houses so that the
buyer is shown only those houses that best fit his or her needs, and even
looking at FSBO'S. Let's face it, who knows better if a FSBO is overpriced -
you or the Full Time Professional Real Estate Agent who is out everyday working
with buyers and sellers?
I welcome your
comments and questions on this issue. |
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