1The Difference Between a Realtor and a Real Estate Agent

The first step in finding a good realtor is to determine if any of the prospective real estate agents you intend to deal with is actually a realtor.

There are many real estate agents out there but not all of them can refer to themselves as realtors.

To be known by this term a real estate agent must be licensed and be a National Association of Realtors member. To be a member of this association a licensed real estate agent must have undergone higher level training. This training should assure you that he or she has successfully completed ethics courses and examinations and that he or she is obligated to uphold the ethics standards of the association. These standards are actually more rigorous than what state and federal laws require.

2Find Several to Interview

You really have to go out there and find out about the options you have. This means that you have to interview several realtors before you can settle on one you can work with moving forward. You can always find realtors by asking for referrals from family and friends as well as using websites like Realtor.com to find out who you can contact in your area.

3Meeting With the Potential Realtors

Having made a shortlist of realtors, you just need to contact them to set up a time to talk. You have to be prepared for this meeting. The advice on how to find a good realtor suggests that meeting with each of your options is the best avenue. Since one of these realtors may end up working for you, it is imperative to find one whose personal traits and working habits work for you. Your realtor of choice needs to have a personality that mixes well with yours and his or her plan of action should also be agreeable to you.

4Questions to Ask Your Realtor

Ask each of the realtors if they own any properties; working with one who has at least one property is advisable as the personal experiences encountered in its acquisition will undoubtedly have provided some special insights on what to look for and so on. You also need to establish the number of years each one of them has been in the practice and what their specialty is in relation to property type and locations.

Working with a realtor who has long experience in dealing with what you are looking for will definitely be more helpful. It is also important to work with a realtor who is a MLS (Multiple Listing Service) member as this will grant you access to the highest number of potential houses possible.

5More Tips That Will Help You Find a Good Realtor

• Ask the realtors about how they go about their marketing. You certainly need to know this because the type of exposure your property will be given will greatly affect how it will be sold. Find out what advertising media they use and the level of success they have had with their strategies of choice.

• Find out the average length of time the realtors take to sell a house and what price range the houses they list are. Do the realtors deal with houses within a similar price range or do they opt to sell more expensive properties that will earn them heftier commissions? Also ask them about the number of houses they normally represent at any given time.

• One of the best approaches on how to find a good realtor is to get the opinions from their past clients. Ask the realtors to provide you with the names and contacts of customers they have successfully served so that you can get in touch with them.

• The amount of commission percentage the realtors are willing to accept is another important consideration. You don’t want to work with a realtor who is willing to charge really low percentages. That is usually a sign that they don’t devote as much attention to your situation as it may need. The typical range for desirable realtors is six or seven percent and you can always try to push this lower by a percent or two in order to save some money.

• When you need to sell a property you should refrain from listing the house for an entire year. It is best to have the property listed for periods of three to four months at a time. For the same reason, you should insist that you will only sign a contract with any of the realtors if you are allowed to terminate the agreement if there hasn’t been enough progress made after a predetermined time. After all, there are more than enough realtors out there who are well qualified and flexible when it comes to listing periods.

The question of how to find a good realtor can be quite troublesome given that there are many qualified professionals in the market to choose from. It is certainly very prudent to go for one who is talented and has a good track record but if he or she doesn’t match your personality then it may not be worth hiring him or her. Your choice of realtor should really “walk the talk” but if not, you shouldn’t hesitate to cut your ties and find a better alternative.

What Do You Think

Do you have any other tips for how to find a good realtor?

Have you had any experiences others could learn from?