Once you are ready to start working with a Realtor and find your dream home or sell your house, it’s important to find the best Realtor – for you. There are many different kinds of Realtors out there who do the same job, but do it differently. Here I will give you some tips on how to find the best Realtor; what to look for, where to look, and what kinds of Realtors you may consider working with.
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Where to Look
Start thinking about who you know that is a Realtor. It seems these days that most have an aunt, sister, friend, neighbor, etc. in the profession. Just be sure that you would be comfortable working with them. It is a long term commitment and a pretty personal one!
If you do not know of someone that you would like to work with, ask for recommendations. Who have other people used? Friends who have bought or sold recently can tell you their experience. Maybe your new neighbor can share their experience with you. Check out signs around towns that you are interested in and see who pops up the most, which company is dominant. Ask around and see who knows them. This is a great way to find the best Realtor in your area. It is definitely a word of mouth business.
You can also look online on sites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com. Search for the town you are looking in, and check out a few Realtors. You can see reviews from their past clients and see how many homes they’ve sold in the last year, as well as what they have listed currently. Not all Realtors keep their information current, but it can be a great resource.
Check out some of my favorite Zillow reviews on my About page!
Open Houses are also a great place to meet a Realtor. You can tell a lot about them from meeting them there. Are they knowledgeable about the house? Are they friendly? Do they walk around with you? Does it seem like someone you could picture yourself working with? I have met complete strangers at my Open Houses that I clicked with immediately and went on to work with them, and became great friends in the process!
Interview
When meeting with a Realtor, treat it as an interview. They are working with you on one of the biggest events of your life. Your Realtor will be representing you every step of the way and they will not get paid until the transaction has been completed. They have a huge job to do and you need someone that is ready to see it through to the end. That’s why it’s so important to find the best Realtor for you.
Contrary to popular belief, the seller is the one that pays the Realtors. Check out Buying A House – Who Pays for What for an explanation of what you will be responsible for.
Ask questions. See what they will do for you. Have them work to win you over. Maybe you just like their personality and you “click” with them. Sometimes that is more important than experience! They should be able to make your home buying or selling process as enjoyable as possible, and not just another sale under their belt. Sometimes a genuine person is just worth working with. As long as they know what they are doing of course!
Talk about their experience, and what they have to offer. What will they do to find you the best house? How will they market your house to sell? What makes them better than their competition? Why are they the best Realtor for you? Find out what they will do to earn your business.
Knowledge
A Realtor that really knows the areas that you are looking to buy or sell in is extremely important. Sure anyone can find out some info, but if they live there, grew up there, frequently buy and sell there, they really know the ins and outs of the town. For example, I live in a lake community. I know all about the 3 different lakes and the events at each. In fact, I make my own packets with information about the lakes. It’s a selling point. Some people, however, have moved here not even knowing that it’s a lake community. Or they moved to a section of town where they are not able to join a lake. Their Realtor didn’t tell them, because they simply didn’t know the area.
Realtors also need to belong to the MLS for the counties you will be searching or selling in. Here in NJ, the MLS for Bergen County is New Jersey MLS. Passaic county is mostly Garden State MLS. Both MLSs will have several counties, but belonging to only one or the other will present problems. If they do not have access to an MLS where you will be, consider someone more familiar with that area. Without access, they won’t be able to even unlock the lockbox to get you in to see the house, or even search available homes on that MLS.
If you are selling, they won’t be able to get your house listed to the largest audience. Most Realtors belong to at least 2 multiple listing services. Anything too far out of their territory, they will not have access to and can refer you to another Realtor that is more familiar with that area.
It’s also a major plus if your Realtor is familiar with the schools. If you are going to have children in the schools, you need to know about them. Or if whoever is buying your house has children, they will want some information. Some towns have buses, some don’t – so your child will need someone to drop off/pick up, or walked with. The athletic and academic programs differ from school to school too, as well as the school rating. Certain schools are known for their special education programs. Make sure you get informed & make the best choice for your family. If you are selling and your town is known for a special school or program, make sure that is included in the marketing and Open House flyers.
Newbie Realtors
When learning how to find the best Realtor, keep in mind that here are a few different kinds of Realtors that you may run into. They each have their pros and cons. Sometimes we Realtors can get a bad name. Not all Realtors are created equal!
Brand new Realtors clearly do not have the same kind of experience as Realtors who have been buying and selling for years. They may not have a list of the best attorneys, mortgage lenders, inspectors, etc. but they have an office full of experienced Realtors to ask for recommendations from. Plus, since they are just starting out and are eager to get business, chances are they are ready to go the extra mile to help you in this process. They work closely with their broker and will go to them with anything they are unsure of. This is actually great, because you are also getting the experience of the broker representing you. They also just finished school – so the information is fresh in their minds. Realtors who have been doing it a long time can get stuck in their ways and not form as easily to newer laws and processes.
When I first started out, I did anything and everything I could for my clients (I still do!). And I’m so grateful for the people who gave me a chance. Everyone has to start somewhere!
Teams
Most of the top Realtors have a team under them that help all the magic happen. They usually are the selling agent, have a slew of buyers agents that work with them, and have their own admin to process paperwork. This can be a great thing! They may have a buyer’s agent that already has someone who could be interested in your home. There is always someone to reach out to, and tons of combined experience. Although every sale is different, chances are they’ve seen it all. (Or close to it!)
The not so great thing that I have heard people complain about…is their personal experience. The big teams have SO MUCH business going on, that sometimes it feels more like you’re a number, just a transaction. It can be hard to give you enough personal attention. During such a scary and a confusing time, you need someone by your side every step of the way.
Also, you may not really even work with the top agent that you thought you’d get. They may only take listings, and set you up with one of their less experiences buyers agents anyways. Or send someone else to run your Open House. Many times they can be hard to get hold of, and lack the personal engagement that is necessary (but this can be true with individual agents as well). Just make sure that you know what kind of experience you are getting.
Individuals
When one agent works on their own, they need to give a lot of effort, or they won’t make any money! It can be very hard to get clients when competing with well known teams and other agents. So, they must go above and beyond and offer a great experience. Maybe they have been in the business for 30 years. Or maybe they specialize in high-end homes, multi family, foreclosures, land, or commercial real estate. Look for someone that specializes in what you are looking for or selling- a necessity of finding the best Realtor for you. If you trust them and they put you at ease, go ahead and work with them!
Individual agents know how much they can handle. Being just one person, they can really only take on a certain amount of clients at a time, or they won’t be able to keep it all together and running smoothly. Agents know what they are comfortable with, and how to handle things at their top performance. Agents will pick up a new client and be in the middle of other transactions, which is fine. There are so many parts to each transaction, so they can work with everyone at different stages.
I also want to mention, don’t judge a book by it’s cover! Just because in agent looks young, or IS young, doesn’t mean that they have no experience or lack the skills necessary for closing a deal. Also, just because someone is older, doesn’t mean that they have been doing it all their lives and have tons of experience – this could be their retirement job that they just began doing and have as much experience as the young person you looked over.
Now that you know a bit more about how to find the best Realtor and what kinds there are, go find a great one! They will be a crucial part of this entire ordeal. Sometimes you may begin working with one and realize it’s just not working out – they never respond to you, are super flaky, give shady answers to your questions, etc. You can let them know that it’s not working out, and use another Realtor. Don’t be afraid to fire a Realtor who isn’t doing their job, but don’t use two Realtors at the same time either, just for the fun of it. They are working with you and work on commission, so it’s really just not fair to work with more than one. That being said, find a great one and get to work finding your dream home!
Think you are ready to start looking for you home to buy? Make sure to check out my 10 step guide to buying a house. It has everything you need to know to be ready, along with all the steps to get you to the closing table! Or are you ready to sell? Check out this 11 step guide to selling a house.