Real Estate News and Information

Those were some great tips!  My husband and I were in Title for many years and have gotten to know a lot of agents personally. This made it both easy to find a great one but hard to make a choice. If I didn't know anyone in the business I would ask friends and family about their experience with their agents.

I have been a mortgage lender for the past 18 or so years and have had the opportunity to work with many, many Realtors during that time, both personally and professionaly.  There are a few characteristics that the good Realtors have in common.  

A good Realtor will.....

Call you back if you leave a message

Do their homework when giving you information about a property or neighborhood

Insist that you have your financing in place before showing homes

May not have all the answers but knows who to ask to find out

Always acts with the utmost honest and integrity in all their interactions

When you find that agent, stick with them.  Loyality goes both ways. If you happen to go to an open house and meet another agent, tell them you are already working with an agent. Remember, your agent can represent you, the buyer, no matter whose name is on the sign in the front yard!  

Someone that knows the area and has a lot of experience. Its important to me that the realtor that has a good reputation in the industry and the community.

When I look for a realtor,I look for someone that I can connect with. I want them to listen to what I have to say and not waste my time showing me homes that I cannot afford - or are not even close to what we have discussed.  I look for someone who knows the area, is knowledgable in financing, has tons of patience for someone who cannot make a decision easily. While looking for a home can be stressful, the right agent can make it fun and relatively painless.  

But, as Susan Tyler said, you must be loyal to your realtor. Trust goes both ways.

I would  look for an agent familiar with the area and understands the property that fits my needs.  I don't care what listings they have or what fits their agenda.  Having been a Realtor myself, I expect respect integrity and someone who can trouble shoot for me in escrow so I don't have to worry about it. Don't make me wait hours for a call back and I prefer someone who can answer their phone (within reasonable hours).

I can respect someone more if they don't know the answer to my question and says "I will get back to you on that" more than someone who bluffs with a guess.  We all can not know everything about everything, but they should at least know where to go to get the answer.

Buying a home is one of the most exciting things a person can experience in a lifetime.  An agent should treat that experience with dignity.

We have several friends and family in the real estate agents, having a relationship with your agent is important. Somebody you can trust and who you know has your best interest.  They should be firmiliar with the area, as well as show you around the community.  We have always had much sucess in our realestate transactions when working with someone who has intergirty and meets the above criteria.