These five steps to choosing a real estate agent will help you find the right agent right the first time. Follow our five simple success steps to make sure your real estate transaction goes as smoothly as possible, whether you're buying or selling.
Agent recommendations and personal research
The first step in restricting your options is to ask friends and family for recommendations, and then do your own research on the Internet. A positive experience with a real estate agent gives him a certain credibility that can serve you. In addition to the recommendations, you should do some online research to find out more about the agent in question. Today, it is possible to know a potential agent better by searching on Google than by meeting him in person. Learn more about the agent and his personality will certainly help you determine if he is likely to do the trick. After making an initial list of potential agents, you can proceed to the second step.
Ask the real estate agent questions
It is very important to meet the real estate agent in person before going to visit houses in his company. This step will allow you to ask some thorny questions to narrow your list of candidates. Find out about their experience in the neighbourhood you are interested in, their skills, their strategy and their method of negotiation for single or multiple offers. These questions will help you choose the right real estate agent. Ask as many questions as you need to feel comfortable.
Competitive advantages
Always look for an agent capable of offering you something more than others: a competitive advantage. While some agents will be able to count on years of experience, younger agents could offer you an experience that can make a difference. Choosing a real estate agent specialized in a neighbourhood or type of housing, who excels in putting their properties online or who enjoys a high visibility in the media, may be more suitable for buying or selling sale of a house.
Rely on your intuition and your impressions
Now that you have refined your list of candidates on the basis of facts and information, the next step is to consider your intuition, your impressions and your opinion. Are you comfortable with him? Do you enjoy his company? Do you hear well with this person? Or on the contrary, do you feel "negative waves"? As you will spend a lot of time talking and working with your agent, it is crucial that you have a cordial relationship with the person you choose to represent you.
Continuous evaluation
Once you have limited your options and selected an agent, you must continue to constantly evaluate your professional relationship. Some agents "put the package" at the beginning, then relax their efforts and gradually lose interest in your needs and desires. It is therefore very important to constantly evaluate your agent and never hesitate to raise the slightest problem if you want to maintain a lasting and fruitful relationship. If at any time you feel that your agent is not doing enough to meet your expectations (or if the agent does not think they can answer them), you both have an interest in end your relationship. However, if you have followed the steps described above, you will have a better chance of finding the right real estate agent on the first try!
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