Finding the right real estate agent takes time, patience and plenty of conversation. As someone looking to buy an entirely new home, you’ll want to find a broker who can give you the best deal when you decide to close on the property — and usually, that’s a professional skill that comes only from experience. It’s important to shop around for the best investment when choosing a REALTOR®, but it might become a bit overwhelming at times. You want to make sure you’re making the right decision, after all.
Follow these five quick steps to keep it simple.
Visiting Open Houses
Choosing a REALTOR® really begins with testing the waters in the market. Checking your local listings for upcoming open houses is a great way to see what kind of property is available as well as to make contact with some local agents. Even if you’re not interested in that particular home, by visiting an open house, you can meet some prospective agents and exchange information with them. They’ll remember you in the future if you choose to call.
Asking Your Friends
Simply put, blindly choosing a REALTOR®, especially when you’ve never done it before, can be stressful and frustrating when you’re looking into buying your first home. You want the best service and you don’t want to be let down at the end of the deal. That’s why you should talk to you friends and family members who have gone through the home-buying process for tips, pointers and even recommendations of particular agents to help facilitate the process.
Going Mobile
When meeting with real estate agents, you should always make sure they’ll be easy to get in touch with. After all, nothing’s worse than a flaky REALTOR®, especially one who makes promises he or she can’t keep. This is the 21st century, so your agent should be available via text message as well as by phone and email for when you’re desperate to get in touch with him or her. Of course, you should realize that agents are people, too, and they have lives, so it’s probably best to limit your inquiries to business hours only.
Weighing All Your Options
Many agents make a lot of promises, but it’s important to never simply pick the first one you talk to, no matter how good his or her plan sounds. Choosing a REALTOR® is a labor of love and should get you deeply invested in finding the home of your dreams, so shop around a bit before locking in a decision. The right REALTOR® might tell you to buy while interest rates are low, and another might say the exact opposite. Always weigh all your options before signing on the dotted line.
Determining Who They’re Working For
Since agents can work for either the buyer or the seller (and sometimes both at the same time), you need to figure out exactly where their loyalties lie before officially choosing a REALTOR®. If your agent is indeed offering a “dual agency” service, find out up front. Otherwise, you might be stuck dealing with someone working toward getting you to pay more to the folks selling a home.
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