What Should You Look For in a Real Estate Agent

Friday, February 16, 2018

What Should You Look For in a Real Estate Agent

As we’ve said before, it helps to have a realtor on your side when buying a home in College Station, or even selling your College Station home. When buying a home, a realtor can show you the best neighborhoods and available listings for your needs and your budget. A listing agent can help you get an idea of the current market and get your house into shape and negotiate the best deal with the buyers. But how do you find the right real estate agent? It’s a good idea to do a short interview with potential agents before you settle on one. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you search:

How Long Have They Been in Business?

Look, everyone has to start somewhere, and this is not to say that a realtor with a year of experience can’t be very good at what they do. But experience helps. The longer a realtor has been in business, the better handle they have on the real estate trends and the better insight they have into the needs of buyers and sellers. There are certain things that are gained with experience, so if you’re looking for an expert, choose someone with at least five years of experience.

How Long Have They Been in the Area?

Knowing the area in which you work is essential for realtors. They need to know not just the market prices and statistics for each neighborhood, but what each neighborhood has to offer. What is it like to live there? Are the properties there better suited for raising a family or for a young professional? How far away is the neighborhood from restaurants, schools, and nightlife? These are questions that are best answered by someone who knows the area well because they’ve lived there themselves for some time. A real estate agent who knows and loves their city will be better be able to help new residents find their place in it.

What Do Their Previous Customers Think?

This is a question that’s best posed not to the realtor themselves but to search engines and review sites. Before you make a decision, take a look at how previous customers rated their satisfaction with this realtor. Did they find their dream home, or were they boxed into settling for something far from it. Did they charge too much when helping a previous customer sell their home or not do enough to promote the property? A good real estate agent knows that keeping a good rapport with their customers is essential because they get much of their business through word of mouth. Make sure that the word about the real estate agent you’re looking into is a good one.

Finding the right realtor is not a decision that should be made lightly. Buying or selling a home can be a stressful process, and if you choose the wrong realtor, you may find yourself even more stressed. The right realtor, with years of experience in Brazos Valley, will make the experience much more smooth and help you off to the next chapter of your life.