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The purchase of a new home ranks among the most pivotal decisions in the life of any individual; but this is not an experience that you have to undertake alone. By hiring a professional real estate agent, you can acquire an invaluable friend and partner in the home buying business.
Of course it is well worth noting that the process of choosing a Realtor can in itself be daunting and intimidating. Whenever you surf the Internet or flip through a phonebook, open a newspaper or community magazine, take a peek up at the billboards that line your community roadways, or turn on a local television show, you no doubt will see countless advertisements advertising the services of Realtors and real estate agents. They all look friendly and professional, to be sure; but the question remains, which Realtor is just right for you?
Well while we can’t select your Realtor for you, we can give you some basic guidelines that will help you make an informed and ultimately beneficial choice for you.
1. Check their creds. As with any trained professional, a real estate agent should hold the licenses and certifications that well qualify them to do their job—and do it well. Before you hire a Realtor, pay particular attention to the initials behind their names, the certificates on their office walls, and the contents of the bios they post on their websites.
2. Interview your Realtor. Just as you would interview any professional that you wish to undertake any major job for you—from your plumber to your house cleaner to your interior decorator—you may want to sit down with your prospective Realtor and question them about their credentials and experience, as well as their solid and concrete plan for selling your home.
3. Take your time. Unless you have an urgent and pressing need to sell your home as soon as possible, you probably want to take your time in choosing a Realtor. Search local newspapers or phonebooks and search the Internet to find a number of qualified candidates for the job; then conduct a thorough interview process that will—with any luck—net you the perfect Realtor for the job.
4. Get to know your Realtor. By both conducting prolonged conversations with and perusing the website of your chosen real estate agent, you can really get to know your Realtor. Read their blogs, have coffee with them, check out interviews they’ve done with newspapers and real estate trade publications. Make a friend of your Realtor!
