The best real estate agent to hire in Eagle, Idaho

Eagle, Idaho is a wonderful place to live and raise a family.  Due to the affluent nature of the people living in Eagle, the expectations of the city services and amenities is unparalleled in the Treasure Valley.

You should expect this superior level of service from your Realtor in Eagle, Idaho.  Here is a quick list of things you should consider when selecting an agent.  If you want to hire the best real estate agent in Eagle, Idaho; you should consider the following:

·         Credibility:  Jim Paulson is the owner and designated broker of Progressive Realty Corporation which is an A+ accredited member of the Better Business Bureau!

·         Marketing Ability:  Every home deserves it’s own unique marketing plan bases on the sellers needs, expectations and the statistical analysis of the homes that would be competing against it.  Your Realtor needs to research the dynamics of the current local market in Eagle, Idaho to determine how to position your home for success.

·         Experience:  You should select an agent with years of local real estate experience (I happen to have 19 years experience as a licensed Realtor in Idaho).  These are very trying times in the real estate industry so I would suggest you team up with a Realtor in Eagle that is at least a member of the Ada County Association of Realtor’s Circle of Excellence and a Top Producer.  Jim Paulson is a Lifetime Member of the Circle of Excellence for exceeding these requirements for over 10 years and has closed over 250 homes in the past decade alone.

·         Reputation:  How do their peers in the industry (other Realtors, Title, Lending, Appraisers, etc.) rate them?  Ask a very blunt question if you are interviewing several Realtors “If you weren’t available, which of these other Realtors I am interviewing would you recommend”?

·        Knowledge: Starting with a licensed Realtor is a great start.  However, what additional training, certifications and designations does your Realtor have?  For example, here are some of Jim Paulson’s:

•        CRS (Certified Residential Specialist www.CRS.com):  The Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) is the highest Designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field. The CRS Designation recognizes professional accomplishments in both experience and education.
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•        GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute):  The National Association of Realtors says “When you see the letters "GRI" after an agent's name, you can count on receiving the knowledge and guidance you need to make your transaction go smoothly. In short, you can count on getting the best service available from a real estate professional.” (Jim Paulson received his GRI in 2006)
•         Technology based:  With over 87% of consumers going online to assist with their real estate needs, it is imperative that your Realtor know how to navigate the benefits of the internet.  This is so important that the National Association of Realtors has created EPRO, the only recognized NAR certification on internet marketing and technology. Jim Paulson is pleased to be a certified instructor for EPRO classes.   Make sure the Realtor you choose to sell your home in Eagle understands how to create single property websites so that you can direct buyers to your home, not just a company website!  Make sure they use full blown Visual Tour (virtual tours) of your home in Eagle, not just displaying static photos.  Make sure your Realtor uses digital signatures so that all your contracts are legible in case you are out of town (or the buyer is who might be relocating to Eagle).  Make sure you have secured access to your files online 24/7/365.
•         Internet advertising:  It is critical when to select a Realtor that understands how to market your home online.  It is not enough to have just a website with the home on it, you need a direct URL to your house.  (This is called a single property website.)  Your Realtor needs to be able to track hits to their website to keep you abreast of the activity to see if the buyers are coming from the MLS, their full color flyers, the sign, their website, or other online marketing.  You need to have your home go “viral” online.  My websites have syndication agreements following sites.
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•          True market analysis capability:  Make sure your Realtor understand the basic principles of economics such as supply and demand, absorption rates, and statistical analysis.  This is critical to make sure they price your home realistically and set the right expectations.  By doing this, Jim Paulson has been able to maintain a list to sales price ratio of his residential listings in Ada and Canyon County at over 98% (tracked back as far as our current MLS allows).  The average days on market for my listings is only 83 days.

Do NOT consider these factors to determine the best real estate agent to hire in Eagle Idaho:

• Which company they work for.  I have worked for Coldwell Banker, John L. Scott and REMAX franchises and I can honestly say that since Realtors are independent contractors, the level of service and professionalism is based on the agent, not their office.  I admit that different offices may have better “tools” for their agents, it is still up to the agent to invest in and use those tools!  It is not like going to McDonalds where every Big Mac is prepared the exact the same way!  Also, buyers go online to find homes, not to an individual real estate office in today’s technology based world.  Smart consumers go to web portals that provide all the listings, not just those showing in house listings.
• Price per square foot:  Every home is unique and therefore they are not a commodity.  Your location, lot, curb appeal, and interior amenities are all different from your neighbor’s home! An ounce of pure gold in Eagle is priced the same as it is Africa because it is still pure gold; however the price of a home in Eagle is not even the same as the exact same floor plan in Boise!
• Unrealistic Pricing:  Have your Realtor provide personal statistics on what their list to sales price ratios are.  Do they take overpriced listings for the market exposure and hope you will accept less or do they price it right to start with?
• How many homes the agent listed and simultaneously sold:  At first glance, this might look impressive; however, it the agent sells too many of their own listings, you should ask if they were marketing the home effectively to other agents or just trying to get all the commission themselves.  On the other hand, if they aren’t selling any of their own listings, you should ask yourself – “Why isn’t the agent able to capitalize on the leads they are getting?”  I am selling on average 28% of my own listings which I feel is a healthy mix.

Another thing that makes me believe I am the best real estate agent to hire in Eagle, Idaho is the variety of marketing tools and resources I use to accomplish the successful sale of my listings.  These include but are not limited to:

• Methodical MLS listings – maximizing the fields of text and photos.  Uploading “associated documents” so the buyer has quick access to things like Property Disclosure Forms, Plat Maps, CCR’s, etc.;
• Full virtual tours with Panoramic photos where applicable (not just still shots);
• Unique Single Property Website address (direct URL) to each home I have listed so buyers can be told where to specifically go to find your home, not just to a company website with a bunch of competing homes to sort through to find yours!
• Color flyers in the flyer boxes outside complete with critical data (price, sq. ft., bedroom counts, etc, are typically included so the buyers know and trust what they read and not get concerned about a bait and switch.  My flyers also have the direct URL on them!
• Featured Listing Status on Realtor.com to maximize exposure on their website.  My listings show up with more data and in preferred placement on the number 1 real estate website.
• Television advertising.  I have a contract with Preview of Homes TV to professionally video tape and advertise my listings on their TV show.
• Video advertising online.  I post the TV ad onto sites like YouTube and my website for additional exposure for your home.
• Online classified advertising.  (i.e. Craigslist)
• Texting codes.  Ability to use texting service for buyers to retrieve data via their cell phones.
• QR Codes.  Ability for buyers with Smart Phones to capture your code and pull up your property listing by taking a photo (scanning) the code with their iPhone or Android based phones.
• Talking House Radio transmitters.  I can put one of these inside the property and custom record a repeating infomercial about your house.  Potential buyers just change their radio station to the preset channel to listen.
• Blogs.  I have a great blogging account that is indexed by Google for incredible online search engine optimization.  I push it through my company website as well.
• Push strategy with other Realtors.  I email agents that have comparable homes or nearby homes listed so that they will have top of mind awareness about your listing in case they have a client that originally called on the other agents’ listing, but may be more interested in yours!;
• Networking:  I have built relationships in the Treasure Valley with fellow Realtors, lenders, title industry employees, inspectors, appraisers, etc,. that are also always talking about real estate to their sphere of influence.  I also network with the Chamber of Commerce members.
• Social Media.  I have my listings show up on my Facebook account and on Twitter so that my sphere of influence knows what I have available.
• Custom Signage:  I can make custom signs for the front of your home with color images of the back yard or the interior of your home to help attract buyers to stop and pull a flyer or call me.
• Open Houses:  Statistically, less than 5% of homes sell as a result of an open house, so I would consider this option; however, usually it generates more leads for me than for the seller.
• Home marketing books:  I prepare a custom home book with copies of the property disclosure forms, listing sheet, plat maps, CCR’s, etc. for buyers to review while in the home.
• Handyman service:  I have a licensed contractor that is also a Realtor that works for my company.
• Home Staging:  I have a past client that offers a home staging service if we need it.
• Online access to your real estate file 24/7/365 via my secure servers.

The best testimonial I can provide is that my fellow Realtors elected me to be their President of the Ada County Association of Realtors in 2010.  I hope you choose me as your Realtor in 2011!  If you are ready to hire the best real estate agent in Eagle, Idaho, call Jim Paulson today at 208-573-0471!