Choosing the right real estate agency can mean the difference between achieving your goals quickly or having your entire plan drag on forever. If you’re not sure how to choose the right agency, you’re in the right place. Here are 9 strategies that will help you find the right real estate team to work with!
Find Someone Who Loves What They Do
The real estate industry is a tough place. Those who thrive in it are almost always agents who do their job with a passion. That’s the type of person you want representing your interests. Finding someone who loves what they do means that you’ll be working with a person who will go the extra mile for you.
Look for a Connection
A real estate agency can be large or small, but that shouldn’t be an important metric. What should be important is finding an agent you click with. The person that represents the agency needs to be someone you can establish an immediate connection with. If there’s no mutual understanding and respect in this relationship, the business will most definitely suffer!
Narrow Your Area of Interest
Real estate agencies cover only so much territory. This is why it’s important to look for one that is local to you. If you live in “The Gateway City,” look for St. Louis real estate agencies. Don’t go out to Troy looking for real estate agencies. While there surely are some great realtors there, they are just too far away to truly have their finger on the pulse in St. Louis.
Look for a Proven Track Record
Although finding someone who clicks with you on a personal level is important, that won’t mean much if they don’t have a positive track record. Narrow down your search to several real estate agencies, and then roll up your sleeves because there’s work to be done. Do a quick overview of their testimonials, talk to people who have worked with the agency before. In other words, ask around.
Look for an Agency That Will Be Honest With You
Real estate is usually a straightforward industry, but there are some risks involved. These risks are present whether you’re buying or selling. It’s the job of a real estate agency to let you know ahead of time if you’ll be dealing with any potential issues.
Because of that, it’s imperative that you stay away from agencies that tend to sugarcoat everything. Sweet-talking clients is part of the job, but once that sweet-talking starts interfering with your best interests, it becomes a problem.
Interview Whenever Possible
Talking with someone is the absolute best way of gauging that person or their organization. Emails and other forms of communications are great for maintaining a clear line of comms, but these won’t serve you well if you’re trying to size someone up.
Always interview. If possible, interview in person. Only then will you be able to tell whether an agency is a potentially good match for you.
Follow Your Gut Feeling
What we call gut feeling is arguably one of the most valuable tools we have when conducting business. It’s a non-quantifiable metric that works. If you’re interviewing an agency or a specific agent, and your gut feeling tells you that something is off, don’t ignore it.
Our brains pick up all kinds of nonverbal cues that our conscious self doesn’t necessarily notice. Your ‘gut feeling’ comes from your brain processing these cues and coming up with a subconscious decision.
Customer Support Matters
When you set out to purchase or sell real estate, you’re entering a world of bureaucracy, paperwork, and all kinds of boring things that need to be done. Needless to say, mistakes happen. What you want is an agency that will help you out with these mistakes, which is why you’ll want someone who has good customer service.
Values and Integrity
We’ve put this point last because we feel that everything up to this moment implies that an agency must have strong core values and integrity. These two things are a prerequisite for conducting business, no matter what it is. If you notice that your real estate agency is lacking either of these two vital ingredients or is willing to bend them, you’ll want to find someone else to work with.
Build a Relationship
Finally, when you find an agency you click with, make sure to build a relationship with them. If you’ve bought/sold real estate once, there’s a good chance you’ll do it again. Having a knowledgeable and trusted ally by your side is the key.
