The process of buying or selling a home is usually an exciting experience for anyone. People enjoy the thrill of the hunt together with the excitement of striking the deal. Whenever you are buying or selling your apartment, you will probably reach a point where you need help from a professional real estate agent. There are many agents out there, and it can become quite a challenge for the person looking for an agent to find one. There are different types of real estate agents out there, plain real estate agents, full-time agents, and part-time agents. In this article, we highlight some of the important things you need first to consider when looking for a Real Estate Agent.
Talk with the agent’s Previous Clients
When you need a real estate agent, make sure you ask the agent to provide you with details of whatever they may have listed and sold in the past year. Remember to ask them to give you some contact information of their past client. Ask the clients to tell you more about the real estate agent.
When selling your house, make sure you ask whether the previous apartments the agent sold were similar to yours in matters concerning price and location. Also, ask the agent to tell you how long the homes they were selling stayed on the market.
Experience
You can know more about the experience of an agent by contacting the state licensing authority. The state licensing authority is capable of telling you the amount of time a specific agent has been in businesses. You can also decide to ask the agent directly. Experts in the real estate business suggest that it is good to choose an agent who has been in business for over five years. The agent needs to be a person who is actively engaged in that particular area and price range.
Agent’s Current Listings
Look at the agent’s current listings on their website and also on online sites that show the listings of different artists. Make sure you check how closely the agent’s listings mirror the kind of property that you are interested in buying or selling.
Right Credentials
Just in the same way that Doctors have specialties, real estate agents also have specialties in their field of work. There are many buying and selling real estate agents out there who get some additional training in particular areas of their career. Some of the designations of a real estate agent include:
- ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative): an agent with this designation must have completed additional education in representing most buyers in transactions.
- SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist): an agent with this designation has completed training that is aimed at helping most sellers and buyers in the 50-Plus age range.
- CRS (Certified Residential Specialist): The agent must have completed additional training in handling the residential real estate.
Ask your friends or family
Ask your friends or also your relatives to help you when looking for a real estate agent. Also, tell them to tell you the challenges they face when dealing with the real estate agent. Ask them if they enjoyed the experience of working with the agent.