find your right real-estate agent

What’s their level of experience? – How much experience does the individual or team have? Don’t just go by years. It’s one thing to be in the industry for 5 years, but another to be actively engaged in the industry. Ask for the amount of transactions, types of transactions, properties and areas.Their failures, I think, are just as important as their successes. What kind of learning lessons will they open up about and does that reflect value to you?

Can they offer insights or just information? – Being knowledgeable can go hand in hand with experience, but knowledge isn’t only derived from conducting transactions in the field. A lot of people can give you data and information, heck it’s at our fingertips. So can the agent(s) provide you with insights vs just information. Do they understand factors that impact the market? Can they articulate what effects you as a potential buyer or seller? Ask where the market is going. Realistically, no one can really predict it, but see how they answer the question and what insights they use to backup their perspective.

Do they sit in the driver seat or passenger seat? – You can be smart or have the greatest idea, but success does not come without hard work and getting sh** done. What examples can the agent(s) provide that showcase how they went above and beyond for their clients. What does their day to day look like? What are their professional goals and where are they with them today? Are they the driver or are they just in it for the ride?

Business? Personal? Both? Real estate is a people business. Depending on what you’re looking for, does the Realtor match your needs? Some people just want a person that is straight to business and others like to be able to befriend them throughout the process. It’s important to know what it is you prefer and communicating that with the Realtor from the beginning. It’s in a Realtors best interest to adapt to clients needs, not make the client adapt to their needs.

What’s their underlying motive? It can be hard to figure this one out, but it’s important to try and see past any facade.  Do their motives align with your beliefs? Are they in the game to make the most money? Are they in the game to help people? Are they in the game to try out the industry? There’s no right or wrong answers, but does their intent as a Realtor align with what you’re looking for? At the end of the day, the person or team you choose are the individuals who you need to trust through every step of the way. Which one do you want on your side?