In our view, your most important home selling and/or buying decision is the real estate agent you select.

Get it right and everything works better.  Here are five guidelines that will help you make a terrific choice.

1 – LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE
Let’s get right to it: this will be one of the major financial events in your life.

Let other people hire the inexperienced or less than ideal agent who is their neighbor’s cousin, or their friend from high school.  This is one time when you must consider what is in your best interests.  You’ll live with this decision for a long time.  You will be absolutely thrilled if you work with someone who really “knows their stuff.”  Look for at least 10 years of solid, full-time experience.

2 – HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE
But wait…..you also want an agent who is not just “in the business,” but who also actually works with a good number of buyers and sellers.  Some folks have been real estate agents for a long time, but they don’t actually work with many buyers and sellers.

We suggest you work with someone who is a full-time, highly productive agent, who has acquired skill and know-how by virtue of having done the work with lots of different people.  They know how to serve you because they have served many people over a long period of time.  Do a little online research and you will get a sense of the individual’s level of productivity.

3 – SERIOUS SYSTEMS
Especially on the seller side, you need someone who has sufficient sophistication and well-developed systems to market your home in its’ best light….. to set it apart from the crowd, so you have an advantage among potential buyers.  You want to know the marketing plan.  And, in our view, that plan should include a multi-faceted approach in which the property is getting shown in social media as well as the major real estate websites.  And by the way, even though only a small fraction of agents are doing full motion videos in their marketing, we feel they are vital to set your home apart.

4 – CHEMISTRY
When you feel comfortable with someone, everything flows better.  You can speak freely, express your preferences, ask questions, and have a positive experience.  All of these things make the real estate process work so much better.  If you don’t feel a sense of comfort and reassurance, keep looking. There is enough stress involved in selling your home.  Keep that stress low by working with someone who inspires your confidence.

5 – TOTAL INTEGRITY
If you are like most real estate consumers, you just want the “straight scoop”…the unvarnished truth, even, or should we say especially, when it involves some glitch or problem that needs to be solved.  A “total integrity” person will give you that.  It is critical that you always get the full truth, so that you can make great decisions, and have a good end-result.

You will never regret being careful and discerning when it comes to this choice.  A first-class real estate agent will make the whole process so much easier, less stressful, and with a far better end-result.

And of course, if you are considering a real estate sale and/or purchase, we invite you to take a look at how we stack up against these five guidelines and then contact us.

Let us know how we can help!