(Newswire.net — April 20, 2022) — Selling a property is an intricate process; guidance and support will be essential to achieving the lucrative sale possible in today’s market. But success is only possible if you partner with the right people. Your realtor will be the backbone of the transaction; therefore, you need to spend time finding the best one.
But like in any commission-based transaction, the sales agent — in this case, your real estate agent — can say everything they need to clinch the deal, only to not deliver on their promises. This can happen to anyone. Make sure it doesn’t happen to you by reading this guide on choosing the best realtor.
How to Choose the Right Agent?
Since your real estate agent will determine the selling price, days on the market, and stress levels, it’s critical you do your due diligence.
Assess What They Offer
Sellers have countless choices to sell a property successfully: traditional real estate agents, discount real estate brokers, and for sale by owner websites, all offering various services at a different price points. Naturally, full-service (traditional) real estate agents take the largest percentage of profit from the sale. Typically, they’ll take 3 or 3.5 percent.
Discount brokers take less at 1 or 1.5 percent, and for sale by owner websites charge anything from $99 to $999 to list a property and assist with the sale.
The reason pricing is important is it allows you to assess if what they’re offering is reasonable compared to what they’re charging. You may not feel a traditional real estate agent is worth the 3 percent, given their primary feature would be to list on the MLS and have your home photographed, things you can accomplish using any of the numbers for sale by owner websites.
Then, you may want to be able to call on your realtor whenever for additional support but still want to save on commission. In that case, a discount real estate broker could be sufficient.
Before you make any decision because you think one option is better than the other, compare the service they offer, and then find out how much that would cost if you had to do it yourself, this gives you an idea of whether that service is worth the cost they’re charging.
Read Reviews
Reviews are going to be your best friend. Good reviews are insightful, but bad reviews give you an idea of what you could face using the brokerage or company.
If you’re using a for sale by owner website or a full-service realtor, finding reviews will be easy. But, if you’re using a nationwide discount realtor like Clever Real Estate, finding accurate clever real estate reviews can be challenging.
The reason reading Clever Real Estate reviews can be challenging has to do with the company linking you to other real estate agents. Typically Clever Real Estate is a five-star company, but some of its agents aren’t. Therefore, you want to focus your search on finding the agents in your area that work with Clever and see if they’re five-star as well.
You can also take a look at some of the negative Clever Real Estate reviews for a well-rounded picture of the service the company offers, and before moving ahead with their service, find out what kind of recourse you have if you’re not satisfied with the level of service a real estate agent they recommended is giving.
With a traditional realtor or a flat fee company, look at both the negative and positive reviews to get an accurate depiction of the company. If the positive reviews outweigh the negative, keep the option on your list.
Ask For Testimonials from other Sellers
Before you settle on a choice based on online reviews, get in contact with people who’ve used the service before. This may seem like overkill, but it could save you thousands of dollars in the process. Ask them how long it took to sell their home, what the realtor’s communication was like throughout the process, and whether or not they had to reduce their asking price to achieve a sale.
Then ask about closing. Typically, it’s the buyers that receive the most support during this process, but sellers — even seasoned sellers — need assistance to navigate the process.
Ask the client whether the realtor was attentive, responsive, and gave helpful advice during the closing.
If you’re using a discount real estate company, do research on the company they refer you to before signing a deal. Search the realtor’s name and double-check reviews.
Consider Alternatives
Part of finding the best real estate agent is to consider alternatives. For sale by owner websites give sellers more control of the process while providing support for listing, finding buyers, scheduling viewings, and closing the deal. Many of these benefits are available for a flat fee that’s less than a fraction of the cost of a real estate agent.
These for sale by owner websites will also give you more to assess, as you can determine whether it’s worthwhile paying the 6 percent to have a realtor list your home or do it yourself. Some of the best-rated FSBO websites that should form part of your due diligence should be Houzeo, FSBO.com, and homecoin.com.
Completing these steps could take a week or two to complete. Don’t think of doing this due diligence as a waste but rather as an investment into the lucrative sale of your property, and choose wisely.