Sellers & buyers, what do you look for when searching for a Real Estate Agent?

Question

What would you say are the top five things about a Real Estate Agent or office, that would make you choose them? Where would you look for an agent (if you don't have a personal connection)?

Answer 1

I really want my agent to be friendly and LISTEN to me.
I honestly picked mine out of the real estate section in the paper....I looked for agents that were listing slightly below my price range (thought that they would be a little more 'hungry') called only two of them. My only interview question was if she sold houses full time (again, the more hungry my agent is, the better for ME). On my second call, I got the happiest sounding woman and she was a joy to be around while she was showing the houses. I did want someone slightly older (I didnt want to have to 'knowingly' plan around her kids' afterschool activities). I got the impression that she of course wanted to make a sale but that she was quite interested in doing so within my budget!

When I was looking thru the paper, I made sure to stay away from agents who were in the million plus club as I wanted to be a 'priority customer' and knew I would NOT be in the price range I was searching since I knew that they had clients with millions more....so that was my reasoning behind the agents with cheaper listings.

There was no real top five list for me
, my perception of her friendliness was the decisive factor. Followed by the full time agent question....that was pretty much it. I was of the impression that there was no real way to check an agent's creditials (I still dont know of any) so I just assumed -as most people probably do - that if she has her license, she is qualified to sell houses.
....
I tried to purposely stay away from listings of agents that had the 'glamor shots' photos.
Admittedly, I was a 'good client' as I had a great idea regarding what it was that I wanted...(house with at least two baths, 3 or more bedrooms, a garage and sidewalks on the street). From there, I doubt it was hard for her to do a MLS property search and pull 20 listings in the area that fit my criteria with in my price range. My agent was of a different race than my own and I am sad to report that racism still exists in our great country as more than one home that we visited thought that I was the agent and she was the potential buyer despite the drastic difference in the way that we were dressed (she was always dressed in classy looking suits, I was in blue jeans).
She never got angry or annoyed by the suggestion...she was the epitome of class.
My house ended up costing $167,000. Since her other listings were in the $98k range I really did feel like a priority.
If/when I sell, she will definitely get my listing if she has not passed thru to the million dollar club by then!
(if you are buying a house, good luck to ya) if you are currently an agent, SMILE, SMILE and smile some more as soon as you pick up the phone (potential clients really can hear it in your voice!)

p.s. After the fact, I realized that I want my agent to have a decent car if she insists (which quite a few of them do) that we ride together to the property...there is nothing worse than getting into a car and not being sure if it is going to arrive at the destination safely. Of course my agent did but if her car had balding tires or made loud noises, I would most certainly would have had to rethink my choice. I dont want to risk my life to keep from hurting someone elses feelings.

Answer 2

i would never use a real estate agent i think most are money grubs and dont care if you get screwed they use the law as a weapon and no one should get payed as much as they do for putting a sign in my yard i can do that plus i made a lot more with out the cost and was able to fix things the buyer wanted fixed in all it worked out well a little bit of work but well worth it.

they are also responsible for driving a market well above what it should be homes over priced family's with no place to live and lots of empty houses just so some lazy *** can make money doing nothing i personally ***** out every one i met in public and the tied is turning lots of new ways to sell or buy and along as you get an inspection your fine dont pay more then then house is appraised at you will never increase you house to meet what you payed for it and the neighborhood goes down hill.

Answer 3

If I am a buyer, it would depend on the house I was looking at. Who the listed agent was. If I was a seller, I would try to use someone I already know. Also, I would never use one of the big mega-firms, I would always stick with a small town local person.

Answer 4

when i was looking for a real estate agent I wanted a specialist in the area.. i wanted to know about schools, neighborhood etc, and you cannot get that from just anyone...
I also feel it is important for them to have a good web site, internet is one of the fastest ways to look for a home and im sure sell it...lastly i needed someone who was going to tend to my every need, answer all my questions and be there when i needed them..

i searched online for information for you and this site came up..
http://www.stevemarowitz.com/PageManager/Default.aspx/PageID=2001414

its a full page on buyer and seller tips.. hope it helps! Best of luck!