Home buying/selling can be an arduous task that can leave someone overwhelmed if they try to tackle it head on by themselves. Given that this is often one of the biggest financial transactions made in one's life, it makes sense to hire someone that knows the ins and outs of this seemingly nebulous endeavor. This is why it is critical to find the right real estate agent that can understand what you are looking for and see you all the way to the finish line. It can be overwhelming for first timers to sift through real estate agent pages on instagram or those ads on bus benches to figure out the best person for the job. This is a list of attributes to look for when choosing an agent for your home needs.
Local Knowledge
This one is obvious, but is vital for getting the best possible options laid out for you. An agent for any given area should know things that can’t be found through a simple google search of current real estate statistics. Metrics like demographics, local school ratings, market trends, etc. are all the bare minimum of what an agent should possess from the get go. Intangibles like the culture and the overall vibe of a neighborhood are what help paint a clearer picture of how you would fit in your new home. Someone who can convey this information well are usually local natives to the area. Knowledge of intangibles also applies to selling. It can help with finding the buyers that are willing to pay above the asking price of the property.
Home Features and Construction Knowledge
Being able to list and discuss key home features at length is another incredibly important aspect of a realtor's job. Having a deep understanding of the construction process of a home is vital to creating and listing selling points. Knowing the literal ins and outs of a given house is needed for making valuations, discussing possible renovations, and providing overall guidance for clients. It is not uncommon for a house to need renovations of certain aspects to raise the value of the house before listing it for sale. Figuring out the best changes and/or add-ons to the house will lead to increasing the value and can also increase buyer demand. This is where construction management experience and a trade network can be key assets for a great real estate agent.
Negotiation Skill
When selling a property, the ability to get someone to bite above the asking price can be make or break for any real estate agent. Understanding the value of a property monetarily and intrinsically will provide great points for the negotiation phase. This skill is usually possessed by more experienced agents, as they are able to be more assertive and comfortable with upselling. When buying a home, your agent can take into account what you're willing to spend and leverage that to navigate you towards your dream house.
Communication
This is one that most people cite when telling you why they had an overwhelmingly positive experience with an agent. It is also the source for many real estate horror stories. The feeling of being priority number one and keeping consistent communication can make any complicated task go much more smoothly. Good real estate agents can extract what a client needs and work through any communication barriers that come up from a variety of personalities. Finding someone that is willing to answer all of your questions at any time is key for a better buying/selling experience overall. Great real estate agents can provide guidance for inexperienced clients and also be in lock step with real estate veterans. Reliability is vital, but would ultimately be useless if you don’t share the next attribute on this list.
Chemistry
This is what will make or break a successful agent-to-client relationship. Like with any interaction, finding someone that you can converse with effortlessly will help with exchanging the most important information for each party. This helps with building trust and ensuring that you will get the best possible outcome. Honesty from an agent allows for clients to open up and trust that the agent has their best interests in mind. Sometimes you can find a real estate agent that has the most experience in town, but conversations with them feel dry and inconsistent when you meet them. Not having that back and forth can hinder any chance of that agent helping you to the fullest extent. It would be much more fruitful to find someone that you connect with very well and understand what tools they have at their disposal to yield the best possible results for you. Having a great rapport will also increase the likelihood of reliability in communicating.
Are we a good fit for you?
We here at East Bay Realty understand the home buying/selling and construction management process down to a science, while also taking pride in our honesty and willingness to answer any of your questions. Our agents possess very thorough knowledge of the East Bay real estate market and use our 50 years of combined experience to get the most for our clients. We also have a strong network of trade professionals that you can rely upon if you need to renovate or fix any issues prior to listing a home. Our clients have cited that our local knowledge, experience and communication / reliability are their top reasons for recommending us to their friends and family. Give us a call for a free consultation and we can show you how we can help!
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