The work ethic and customer service skills of your real estate agent have the potential to make or break your home search process.
Some real estate agents take on an abundance of clients, spreading themselves thin while others intentionally limit their client base to ensure each is provided the attention they need and deserve to land their dream home.
Let’s take a look at what you should hone in on to determine if your College Station real estate agent is worth his or her keep.
Communication
Both home sellers and buyers need to know the latest on the sale and search processes. The best College Station realtors frequently check in with their clients. If your agent merely sends you a text or gives you a call after an offer is provided, it is a sign he or she might be too busy with other clients.
The best real estate agents make a concerted effort to communicate with their clients throughout the home sale/purchase process. Even if the home up for sale does not have offers, the realtor should still touch base with regularity to explain what is being done to attract buyers.
Negotiating the Optimal Terms
The industry’s best agents will engage in lengthy negotiations to ensure their client receives the best terms, conditions and price.
The agent should be squarely focused on the details of your sale rather than glossing over those subtleties in an attempt to sell as many homes as possible. The bottom line is getting the right price requires elite negotiating skills and a work ethic. Furthermore, the agent should be willing to go to bat for you to obtain desired contingencies, specific closing times and other nuances that help you maximize value.
Ensuring the Buyer is Qualified
There is no sense showing a home to an individual who lacks the financing necessary to purchase it. There is no sense considering an offer from someone who does not provide proof of funding.
Your real estate agent should do the work necessary to ensure each person who sees the home is pre-approved and pre-qualified or has evidence of the cash necessary to purchase the home without outside financing. Otherwise, the realtor will have wasted everyone’s time showing the home and taking offers from individuals who do not actually have the financial wherewithal to make the purchase.
Pinpointing the Right Price
Pricing a home is an art form.
The price has to be high enough to ensure the seller makes money but low enough to entice bids. Everything from nearby homes’ comparable sale prices to updates made to the home since its last purchase and other details should be carefully considered when pricing the home.
In short, your College station realtor should have his or her finger on the pulse of the market.
Finding New Homes in a Timely Manner
If you are buying a home or if you are selling one and need new digs, your realtor will play a vitally important role in helping you find a new property.
Realtors have a network of contacts within the industry that help them learn about new homes going on the market, sometimes before they are officially listed for sale. Your realtor should identify homes going up for sale and those currently for sale that meet your criteria and are within your price range. Time is of the essence as some sellers will take the first solid offer that comes their way.
If you feel as though your real estate agent is not working hard enough to find you a new home in a timely manner, do not hesitate to move on to the next candidate.
Home Research and Education
Ideally, your real estate agent will know the details of the home up for sale inside and out. If you have questions, the realtor should be able to answer them.
It is the realtor’s job to learn about the home up for sale, communicate updates that justify a price hike, identify previous sale prices/dates and explain other details about the property to you as you take a tour. If your agent does not do his or her homework before showing the home, it is a sign they are too busy, too lazy or have a bad memory.
