When it comes to selling your home or office, you must choose the right real estate agent to handle the sale of your property. The whole experience can be difficult enough on sellers, but an unprofessional or inexperienced agent can make things even worse. The real estate agent’s job is to ensure that everything—from the showings to the final payment—goes smoothly on your behalf. So if you are in the process of looking for a real estate agent you should look for someone who exhibits the following characteristics:
Your Agent Should Be Reputable and Trustworthy
Doing a background check on real estate agents is an important step to take before hiring them. You need to be able to be sure that your agent is a dependable person, otherwise, why would you hire them?
That being said, whether they are affiliated with a company or whether they work by themselves, your agent must be qualified to sell your home. This refers to more than just their credentials as you also need to consider the agent’s network and track record. Essentially, your real estate agent should be associated with a well-known company or have a big network where they align themselves with other professionals. Look into the real estate agent’s social proof as well. What do previous clients have to say and what do their results look like?
Your Agent Communicates with You Frequently
Another important trait that you should expect from your agent is that they are transparent and honest with you. There is a difference between always speaking with you and making sure that both of you are “on the same page”.
Selling your home or office is already a stressful experience, but an agent who won’t communicate with you properly may only exacerbate things. Unfortunately, many agents are guilty of this, so it is important to screen your possible candidates well.
Your Agent Will Market Your Property Tirelessly
Make sure your real estate agent has a solid plan for marketing your home. This is usually composed of different tried-and-tested strategies (usually a mix of new and old marketing methods) that have already worked for them in the past with previous clients. Agents who simply list your home and hope for the best do not have your best interests in mind.
Your Agent Is Present During the Home Inspection and Appraisal
Real estate agents who show up to home inspections and appraisals are there to ensure that you’re getting the best value for your home or office. After all, apart from you, no one knows your home like your agent does, and this knowledge can be beneficial during these processes.
Your real estate agent can be there to answer specific questions about your home and accept or reject unreasonable requests from the home inspector. Appraisers may also have questions about the home that only your agent can answer while they are evaluating everything. Lastly, your real estate agent can also help translate and clarify industry jargon for you so that you don’t get misled or tricked by the home inspector or the appraisal expert. If your agent is not present during the inspection and appraisal processes, you should consider this behaviour a possible red flag.
Your Agent Should Negotiate the Best Terms for You
From the moment your home is listed for sale to the time that the buyer settles their payment, your agent has to ensure that the results are in your favour. Since you are their client, it is part of their responsibility to negotiate between all parties in the transaction. After all, you entrusted them with the sale of your home. Your real estate agent has to be skilled in parlaying between you, the buyers, and the buyers’ agents for this to happen. Be aware that occasionally situations can occur where there can be a conflict of interest for real estate agencies, and this is when you need to be sure you can trust your choice of agent.
In addition to getting you the outcomes you want, your agent can also push for certain conditions (such as deadlines, closing times, and more) on your behalf. Simply put, your agent should ensure that the transaction ends up being beneficial to you.
Your Agent Stays Up to Date with Technology
Your listing agent should be keeping abreast of what technology the real estate industry utilises to sell properties. An agent who knows how to leverage websites and applications can spend more time marketing your home directly to buyers online and offline, which can expedite the sale of your property. Moreover, they also know how to take advantage of social media and content marketing to help attract more potential buyers.
Your Agent Will Finalise Loose Ends
Lastly, your agent should be able to take care of all the little details when it comes to selling your home or office. Any certifications, permits, readings, payments, and other issues should be theirs to settle. There is nothing worse than thinking that your listing agent has already done everything for you, only to realise that there are still problems that you have to solve yourself. A proactive agent who truly cares about their clients will not make you have to deal with property sale details.
In short, you should expect your real estate agent to be professional, honest, dependable, and motivated. Only a person with all of these characteristics is qualified and highly likely to sell your property successfully. Any agent who falls short of these expectations is not worth hiring to handle your real estate transaction.
Are you still looking for a real estate agent who can make things easy for you? Get in touch with Gerard Partners today!