Tips on Selecting a Real Estate Agent
One of the most important steps when buying your first home is the selection of your realtor. Your realtor is your consultant for probably the biggest, or one of the biggest, financial purchases you’re going to make in your life. It’s something that most first-time buyers overlook.
A lot of first-time buyers will just select their agent randomly. Someone that they meet at an open house, a family friend or someone from their social circle. The reality is, that doesn’t have any bearing on if that person has the skills that they need to ensure that you make a good purchase. When you’re selecting your agent, it’s really important that you ask them the following questions.
- What is their experience and their knowledge in the specific area that you’re looking to purchase in? It’s really important that the agent you’re working with knows all the different neighborhoods, so that they can make sure that you’re buying a home in a neighborhood that’s not only going to suit your lifestyle but also going to be a good investment. The average first-time buyer only stays in a home for three to five years. When you sell that home, you want to make sure that you’re going to make money off of it to be able to upsize to your next one. The other thing is that the agent needs to know about the pricing in that neighborhood to make sure that you don’t overpay for the first home that you buy.
- How are they going to help you find your home? You don’t want to link up with an agent who’s just going to set you up on an automatic listing email drip, and then leave you. You could do that yourself online. Ask your agent if they have access to off-market listings or what their strategy is going to be to find you your home? That’s a huge value-add that your realtor should be able to bring.
- What separates them from any other agent out in the marketplace? Your agent should very quickly be able to communicate to you what their unique value-add is. Maybe it’s that they have a really great construction background, they’ve got access to tons of off-market listings, or they are an expert in your specific neighborhood that you’re looking to purchase. Whatever it is, you want to make sure that that agent’s value-add is what you need in an agent to help you buy your next home.
- What kind of negotiation skills do they have? Part of our jobs as real estate agents is to negotiate you the best price and terms on the house that you’re purchasing. If your agent is a weak negotiator and you’re up against a listing agent who’s a really strong negotiator, that could end up costing you thousands of dollars. Buying your first house is a really big purchase, and it’s very important that you use a good real estate agent.
Make sure that you go with an agent that you’re not only comfortable with, but that also has the necessary skills to protect you and make sure that you make a good purchase. We hope you found these tips on selecting a real estate agent helpful!
