How do you choose the best real estate agent for your needs? INTERVIEW a few! You are going to spend some time with your agent and you need to feel comfortable with them as a person and as a professional in the business. A lot of our clients have been very educated professionals with little time to spend on locating their next home or preparing their current home for sale. This is why you hire us! We are a FULL-SERVICE TEAM who takes excellent care of our clients.
When you call an agent for a phone interview, ask the following questions:
Where do you FOCUS your practice? (If they say all of San Diego, don't use them.) Do you ANSWER your own phone when I call? (Try it out later to make sure.) Do you work on the WEEKENDS/EVENINGS? (Some listing agents won't work on the weekends, which means fewer open houses and/or the unavailability of the agent to show the house to someone who drove by and wants to see it.) Are you a SOLO agent or a team? What benefit do you see from working that way? What happens when you are on VACATION, sick or out of touch? Do you manage my file from beginning to end, or do you pass it to someone else? Have you ever been a party to a LAWSUIT regarding a transaction? When representing a seller, what is your marketing plan and what kind of BUDGET do you commit to it? When representing a buyer, do you ever recommend CANCELLATION of an escrow? For what reason? (After all, the contract provides that you have a 17-day contingency window in which you can cancel the contract.) What are your FEES? What do I get for that? (Remember, real estate fees are negotiable.) Tell me about a difficult situation that you RESOLVED to your clients' benefit. (EVERY experienced agent has had situations arise over his/her career.) |
The answers to these questions should give you an idea of the agent's level of experience, client commitment and competence. I have given my business a lot of thought and have developed a team for mutual benefit and support. Our way of practicing real estate is very personal and very committed to your needs. Feel free to ask us the same questions!
John Hokkanen, Encinitas Real Estate
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