There are good apples and bad apples in every bunch. The same can be said for myriad professionals who become involved when you are thinking of buying or selling a home.
Obviously, one of the most important individuals in the process is your real estate agent. Crissie Kudd, a REALTOR® working in Naples, Florida recently penned a great checklist to assist her clients in finding the right agent.
Kudd says friendship alone isn’t enough to establish a real estate professional’s credentials. She advises clients to use tough standards when selecting an agent, like when hiring an attorney, a doctor, or an accountant.
A true friend who may be a real estate agent should understand and appreciate that this is a business decision and should expect to offer their credentials and compete for the listing.
Here are some other tips:
- Look at more than one presentation and consider the advantages and disadvantages of each. Making an impulsive decision when caught up “in the moment” could be difficult to correct later.
- Kudd says some agents tell sellers what they want to hear when they suggest an unreasonable listing price – known as “buying a listing.” To see a house get the most attention from other agents when it is a “new” listing, get and take a REALTOR® ‘s advice on pricing it properly and Kudd believes lots of agents will show it to their buyers.
- You also need to determine if the agent is competent and the best way to do that is to check up on references. Ask for references on recent sales — check up on references of recent clients a find out how an agent’s customers feel about their selling experience.
- You get what you pay for. Paying a cut-rate commission will often get you a sign in the front yard and placement in the Multiple Listing Service, but little additional effort from your agent.
- Incentive is also important to the buyer’s agent, since he or she splits the commission according to the listing agent’s instructions. If that means your listing agent also dropped the commission to buyers’ agents they may be more motivated to show houses first that offer a customary commission to the buyer’s agent.
