Meet agents out in their working
environment, not in their offices. Good agents spend very little time at their
desks.
Make sure the agent has closed many
properties and has worked a few years at least. You will want an agent to work
for you. More closings mean more experience.
Contact the agent with whom a friend or
relative worked. If this agent produced positive results for a friend, there’s
a good chance they will do the same for you.
Make sure your agent is online. Having a
web savvy agent is very important today as over 85 percent of all buyers
initially see their homes online. Great agents have laptops and often have
moved to mobile technology to assist. A real estate agent in today’s world must
email, text, and be available to buyers and sellers alike.
Interview several agents. Whether you
are looking for a buyer agent or seller agent, remember, agents will tell you
what you want to hear. Make sure they are not selling you a dream
partnership... you want to hire a realistic real estate agent. Don’t sign a
buyers’ agreement form before looking for property (you should feel free to
build trust with a real estate agent over several hours of looking before
signing anything).
Look for signs that the agent is busy. A
hard-working, go-getter of an agent is good. Be careful, sometimes they are too
busy. A real estate agent can only effectively work with about a half-dozen buyers
and a dozen sellers at any given time to properly give the time needed to a
buyer. If they pass you to an “assistant”, move.
Be sure that your agent is
knowledgeable. Ask questions. An excellent agent is the most important to you
when buying a home for the first time. They should have experience and should
be able to guide you through the complexities of the process including lender
info that you will have to provide.
See how the agent’s MLS listings come up
in searches. However if you wish to purchase your dream home that is not for
sale it will not show up on the MLS. When listing in today’s market, all
listings from small to big should have professional photos - this is the first
sign of a professional real estate agent who understands today’s market.
Do some research. How respected is the
brokerage/agent... You want an agent that will network and work cooperatively
with other agents. Seasoned agents tend to know the other agents in the area
and have good working relationships with them. This tends to transform into
good transactions.
Check the references that an agent
should be able to provide you. Ask the other real estate agents you interview
if they know the other agent and if they respect them as a real estate agent.
Ask your agent where they live. An agent
that lives and works locally will have their finger on the pulse of the market
and be able to answer important questions about the community. They should at a
minimum know the schools where they work.
Ask “Can you recommend service providers
who can assist me in obtaining a mortgage, making repairs on my home, and other
things I need done?” Keep in mind here that a real estate agent should
generally recommend more than one provider and shouldn’t receive any
compensation (ethical issues tend to arise when this happens).
Ask the agent if the real estate agent
is a full time agent. Is this her only job? You should demand a full time
agent.
Ask “How will you keep me informed about
the progress of my transaction? How frequently?” Using what media? Again, this
is not a question with a correct answer, but that one reflects your desires.
Finally you should have a good working
relationship with your agent and know they have your "best interest at
heart" and they should, it is their job!
Carrie Colby
Broker/Owner
Premier Properties
1263 Roosevelt Trail, Raymond, ME 04071
207-655-2225
Fax 866-379-9252
Cell 207-232-5497
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