Choosing a Real Estate Agent Part 1--The Hard Issues to Consider as a Consumer
In dealing with thousands of real estate buyers and sellers online and in person it has been fascinating and yes disturbing to see how passive consumers are in selecting which realtor to work with. I'm Jay, the owner of JustNewListings.com Realty Inc. At least 15-30 people register each day at my website so my fingers are on the pulse of consumer behavior as far as Great Falls Virginia real estate is concerned. To a large degree buyers bounce around like pinballs from agent to agent viewing home randomly and when they find a home they like they just work with that agent of whom they know nothing about as far as how effective that agent is at negotiating, etc.
And meanwhile they have no clue, who this realtor is, they don't know if they are any good et cetera. They are just happen to be there at the right time, it's called a epiphany marketing. But certainly if you're a consumer, if you're out there, thinking about buying a house then actually out there, ready to view property, you need to have your brain turned on. You need to be aggressive and defensive about your financial interests and lifestyle choices et cetera. There is so much to the subject about how to choose an incredible agent. You've read probably several cheesy articles on this subject, I mean that's usually the subject, "how to choose a real estate agent." Most of them are junk and shallow and give no depth at all; they are only for the sake of blowing smoke you know where.
So, number one and I'm going to list a series of questions for you and then break them down. Number one, how many years that you've been doing real estate? It's an important question, it's an obvious question, it's one that consumer is almost never ask and why that is, I'm not sure. You don't have to be doing real estate a million years to be good at real estate but you do need to have at least several years under your belt and if you have five or ten or twenty years under your belt you're that much better. The reality is that you're not dealing with an agent who is the top one percent, there are some inherent issues at stake.
One reason to only work with very accomplished agents in terms of the number of transactions they have done is that real estate comes with and endless supply of new and bizarre circumstances that threaten the clients' interests. Very often the issues that endanger the real estate transaction from being completed can be prevented in the first place with defensive real estate measures and yes instincts in negotiating certains situations. And often the difference in how something is handled is subtle but consequential. The most effective agents prevent a lot of drama behind the scenes and their buyer or seller never even knows about it.
This relates to negotiating contracts, do they know paragraph by paragraph the contract inside and out? Do they know that if you void the contract because you don't like the home inspection report that you the buyer cannot just get your money back--your earnest money deposit. What are they doing to protect you in that scenario? Have they added an addendum saying that the earnest money will not be deposited until everyone has signed off on the home inspection repair addendum? I know of one other agent in the entire region out of thousands that is this defensive at protecting their clients financially and protecting their earnest money deposit. Because the broker cannot release the earnest money unless the seller also signs the release.
So yes, experience is the bomb. It does matter and impacts you in ways you never know of because often it relates to preventing "stuff" from happening in the first place. The most experienced agents protect you as they would their own family. They will also refer the best contractors to you that will do the highest quality work or deliver their goods such as appraisals or loan docs on time. One thing is for sure...if you're not using a top agent, the buyer competing against you is and you will be at a disadvantage for it competing for the same home.
And meanwhile they have no clue, who this realtor is, they don't know if they are any good et cetera. They are just happen to be there at the right time, it's called a epiphany marketing. But certainly if you're a consumer, if you're out there, thinking about buying a house then actually out there, ready to view property, you need to have your brain turned on. You need to be aggressive and defensive about your financial interests and lifestyle choices et cetera. There is so much to the subject about how to choose an incredible agent. You've read probably several cheesy articles on this subject, I mean that's usually the subject, "how to choose a real estate agent." Most of them are junk and shallow and give no depth at all; they are only for the sake of blowing smoke you know where.
So, number one and I'm going to list a series of questions for you and then break them down. Number one, how many years that you've been doing real estate? It's an important question, it's an obvious question, it's one that consumer is almost never ask and why that is, I'm not sure. You don't have to be doing real estate a million years to be good at real estate but you do need to have at least several years under your belt and if you have five or ten or twenty years under your belt you're that much better. The reality is that you're not dealing with an agent who is the top one percent, there are some inherent issues at stake.
One reason to only work with very accomplished agents in terms of the number of transactions they have done is that real estate comes with and endless supply of new and bizarre circumstances that threaten the clients' interests. Very often the issues that endanger the real estate transaction from being completed can be prevented in the first place with defensive real estate measures and yes instincts in negotiating certains situations. And often the difference in how something is handled is subtle but consequential. The most effective agents prevent a lot of drama behind the scenes and their buyer or seller never even knows about it.
This relates to negotiating contracts, do they know paragraph by paragraph the contract inside and out? Do they know that if you void the contract because you don't like the home inspection report that you the buyer cannot just get your money back--your earnest money deposit. What are they doing to protect you in that scenario? Have they added an addendum saying that the earnest money will not be deposited until everyone has signed off on the home inspection repair addendum? I know of one other agent in the entire region out of thousands that is this defensive at protecting their clients financially and protecting their earnest money deposit. Because the broker cannot release the earnest money unless the seller also signs the release.
So yes, experience is the bomb. It does matter and impacts you in ways you never know of because often it relates to preventing "stuff" from happening in the first place. The most experienced agents protect you as they would their own family. They will also refer the best contractors to you that will do the highest quality work or deliver their goods such as appraisals or loan docs on time. One thing is for sure...if you're not using a top agent, the buyer competing against you is and you will be at a disadvantage for it competing for the same home.
About the Author:
Purchasing real estate in Great Falls VA inherently involves large amounts of money deserving the most experienced and aggressive buyer representation in negotiating prices down. Contact the owner of JustNewListings.com Realty Inc for more information about Great Falls or the surrounding areas.