Finding a real estate agent is easy. There are lots of agents, and they are all competing for attention. Many advertise on the big sites, paying a lot of money for placement beside listings when you search for properties. You probably have friends and family who are agents. They never tire of reminding you that they are in the business and they can help you if you ever need to buy or sell. The fact is that real estate agents are everywhere, and they are always available. And at first glance, they all look great!

This doesn’t mean it’s easy to find the RIGHT real estate agent. In fact, the overwhelming number of agents makes it very hard to decide who is the best agent for you. How can you know if an agent is ethical? How much experience do they have? Are their past clients satisfied? How many deals do they close every year? Have they ever been in trouble for making mistakes, or worse, doing something unethical? Your real estate transaction is a big deal, and often the largest financial transaction you will ever make. That makes it too important to trust to luck. To make a good decision, you need to ask prospective agents some questions and look at their track record. Usually it comes down to a few agents you like, and you want to choose the best one.

Start by having a look at the agent’s record. How long have they been in business? How many deals do they close each year?  Check with their real estate commission for past violations and possible disciplinary action. Look at their current and past listings. Finding typos and poor photos can indicate a lack of attention to detail. Then it’s a good idea to do a personal interview with the finalists. Ask about the things you have already checked out and see whether their answers fit with the facts. Ask them about past clients and get some references. And then be sure to call those references to get a sense of whether those clients were satisfied.

Once you have found the right agent, it’s time to move forward. It’s a lot of work, but the difference between a great agent and a bad one can make a big financial difference in the outcome. So be sure to do your homework, and it will be worth the effort.

If you would like some help, we can check out your finalists for you, or do the whole process from start to finish. It doesn’t cost you anything, and can save you a lot of time and effort. The agent we select will share part of their commission with us. This is called a referral, and we only get paid if the agent completes your transaction. So please feel free to reach out and we will be happy to help.