by George Lawson
(Image Source: http://www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com)
Every agent is a salesperson, so they do a pretty good job convincing people to hire them. But not all real estate agents are created equal. And it is in the interview process that you can best evaluate them.
The biggest challenge is to find the agent that will work the hardest for you. The only way to find the agent that's right for you is to sit down with them and ask questions. And in our next report we'll go through some important questions to ask, but first it is important to recognize what to look for in the interviews.
Where will you meet? The agents may suggest meeting on their "home turf", their office. But meeting at your home allows you to put yourself in the position of a potential buyer and secretly judge if you would buy a house from this person.
Here are some more tips -
- You should interview agents just as though you are hiring them for a job ... because you are!
- Talk to at least three real-state agents and get a listing presentation from each one. Any agent worth their salt will give you a presentation of just what his company will offer when they have listed your property for sale.
- Be careful if there are two or more coming to visit ... they may "tag team" you to catch you off guard.
- Does the agent look "professional"? Buyers may form a bad first impression and look elsewhere for a home before they even look at yours.
- Don’t be afraid to ask them how well they know your neighborhood.
- Check them out and make sure they are not patronizing and condescending Do they come across as honest and hard working? You want to find someone who demonstrates knowledge of your community and familiarity with all the details involved in the buying/selling process such as title, escrow, appraisals, inspections, financing, negotiation, etc.
- Give bonus points to the agent who talks frankly about the deficiencies in your home and requires fixes before accepting the listing.
- When possible, only disclose to your final choice what you think a property is worth. If you tell them up front what you feel your house is worth it may very well influence the amount they've calculated. Plus, remember that the agents you do NOT choose will know what you expect to get for your house. This could be useful information for them later if they bring you a potential buyer or even try to sell another property against yours!
- Above all else, evaluate prospective agents based on personality as well. Your relationship with your real estate agent will be a working one, and if you don’t think you’d work well with him or her ... you probably won't.
Copyright 2011, George Lawson (all rights reserved)
Coming Next: Choosing a Real Estate Agent - The Questions (Part 1)
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