Referral or online. If you are in the Kansas City area I have a very good referral for you.
2007-03-18 21:08:12
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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85% of Buyers start thier search for homes on the internet using sites like Realtor.com, and the like. Usually a buyer will contact one of the agents from a home they really like, and it turns in to a relationship if the buyer feels comfortable with the agent.
For sellers, they usually look around their neighborhood / market area and try to find the agents who tend to show up more in the front yards of their neighbors, usually a seller will try to interview a few of the most active agents in thier market area. This is all of course if the person doesn't already know someone who knows a Real Estate agent. Most of the time people know people and a referal from a friend or family member is where the person finds their agent.
As for the 5 top things you want to look for:
Brokerages(companies) tend not to matter so much as the individual agent. Believe me I have worked with agents good and bad from all sorts of brokerages, you are looking for the best agent. A reputible company is probably a good idea though, a large international firm is where you will tend to find the most competent agents.
I would look for an agent who does real estate full-time, this means they don't have any other 9-5 job(s) going on. Why? Because if they have other means of income it means they probably aren't aggressive enough to find business, so how are they going to be agressive enough to help thier clients correctly, on top of that, they have other obligations (not you), and probably won't be able to provide as timely of service (in a business where time is crucial, this is not good). How would you feel if you call your agent and they say, "not now my boss for my real job wants me to get such-and-such done".
Find an agent who knows the laws of your market area, and has a deep understanding of the contracts (what good is an agent who doesn't understand all of the implications, its like hiring a doctor to do heart surgery who doesn't even know how to cut through the rib cage correctly, what a mess). This is probably the most important.
A lot of people would say to find an agent who is seasoned (or has been an agent for 5+ years). I wouldn't say that, I have worked with a lot of new agents that were far more qualified than most seasoned agents I have worked with. So instead I would say find an agent who knows the market well. They don't need to know everything about everything, but they should be able to find the answers to your questions quickly and accurately, as well know enough to know what is, or isn't a good value or deal to you the client.
And finaly something that really shouldn't need to be mentioned, however missed by most people. Find an agent you like, if you can't connect your personalities, don't work with them. It will be painful for everyone through the entire transaction, and buying or selling a house should be a possitive experience.
Understand that Real Estate is a Serivce Oriented Business, sure some sales skills involved, but the agent needs to be able to back up what they promise, and that is service.
2007-03-13 02:50:34
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answer #2
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answered by asmul8ed 5
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I look in the paper the real estate people are always honoring the top sales person the top sales company and I want the one who is number 1!
2007-03-18 11:24:24
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answer #3
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answered by lori_love_emmalee 5
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The best place to start would be by referral. If that doesn't work out, then online is the most convenient way. Closing costs are big factor to consider also.
2007-03-13 02:24:01
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answer #4
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answered by Kim 3
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