CHOOSING A REAL ESTATE AGENT
I had lived in my former house for about 20 years and thought it was about time I moved into a new one. That meant having to go through the grueling process of finding the right real estate agent to sell the house. Yes, choosing a reliable real estate agent who really works for you can be daunting. After several interviews with five real estate agents and shortlisting three of them, I finally managed to select one whom I felt acted in my best interests. Being experienced in his field and dedicated in his work, the agent got the house sold at a price that was slightly higher than what I had expected. Also, the daunting paperwork was made bearable through his expertise and professional commitment.
So what did I look out for and how did I choose one that suited my needs?
Firstly, I looked for one who had a business-like attitude and was assertive, yet was non-intimidating and who understood my needs.
Next, I ensured that I asked about his sales history and some recent sales to choose references from. Some important questions asked about recent sales were: How long was each house on the market? How many were reduced and why? How many times and by how much?
Some other questions were: Will there be a marketing plan drawn up for the sale of your house? Will it be carried out? What guarantees do you have?
I tried to also gauge the quality of the agent’s negotiating skills and asked about commissions. It is important to feel comfortable with your real estate agent to be able to discuss money amicably in a house sale.
Another important point to note is to observe the way the real estate agent explains things when you try and negotiate a lower rate. If he can convince you that his fee is fair and that he will have to work hard to earn it, then he can convince others to listen to his viewpoint when he is working for you!
All these will give you enough time and a good basis on which to judge the personality and integrity of the real estate agent. The bottom line is that you have to pick someone that you feel you can trust. I didn’t have any regrets making the right choice based on research, observation and intuition.
July 12th, 2009
Nice work! I’ll have to do a cross post on this one
July 13th, 2009
Thanks a lot!! a very useful topic!!