Experienced vs. Newbie
It seems logical to say that we should hire an experienced agent when listing or selling your home.
But if no one hires the new agent, how does the agent get experience? So I pose a different view...
When you interview an agent and ask the question about how long they have been licensed or how long they have been an agent you might want to dig a little deeper.
Ask questions like...
- What kind of problems have you encountered in your real estate career?
- How did you solve these problems?
- Does your broker pay for advertising?
- Do you have education opportunities within your office?
Now I'm not about to tell you that in most cases experience doesn't trump a newbie. But I am going to tell you a little about some of the new agents I've hired over the past 10 years. First of all I do not hire an agent to work at my firm unless they want to be a full time/full service agent. Next, all new hires in my office have strict oversight by me, their broker. And lastly I'm not just a broker in name only. I'm in my office 6 or 7 days every week. I'm very hands on. I review all documents. I know what my agents have listed. The firm has a marketing plan that agents can of course go above and beyond, but it's quite adequate alone.
What should you look for when hiring an agent?
- Eagerness to prove themselves
- Patience
- Technology skills/Internet savvy
- Organized presentation of solid and diverse marketing plan
- They affiliated with a "working" broker
- They are a people person
I have some fantastic experienced agents in my office. Some have been listing and selling homes since I was a todler and I've learned a lot from them. I also have some new - eager, smart, resourceful agents in my office that I've seen do a fantastic job in just a short period of time.
One more thing I want to point out...
Say you have an illness and you go to a doctor... would you want the old school experienced way to cure your illness or the doctor who just finished his internship at a wonderful cutting edge teaching hospital with a better/faster cure.
Again I am not knocking experience, it's a great teacher. But at the same time I know some agents who've been doing a bad job for a LONG time. They've been out there not learning anything and making the same mistakes time and time again.
So I suggest when hiring an agent you look for the skill set to help you in selling or buying, not just for someone who has had a license for a LONG time.
NOBODY COVERS THE LAKE LIKE LANE
Original content written by Tammy Lankford
Broker/Owner
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