Real Estate: Tips for Choosing a Real Estate Agent

If you are like most Americans, purchasing real estate is a major decision that requires research and patience, among other things. Beginning the search for a property that you like well enough to purchase is only the first of many steps to a successful real estate transaction. Negotiations, inspections, mountains of paperwork . . . it’s clear that you need a professional real estate brokerage, like Spectrum Enterprises LLC, to take you smoothly through the process of buying property.

A real estate agent searches for the best property for his clients.

Here are some tips for choosing the right real estate professional; use the tips to filter through the masses.  Additionally, research the recommendations you get from your well-meaning friends and colleagues.

• Recent Transactions: Ask the agent to let you speak with a couple of recent clients. How satisfied were the clients with the transactions? Were their expectations met? Also, ask how long it took to sale (or buy) the property.

• Current Listings: Review the agent’s current listings. How closely do the listed homes match the type of home you are looking for? If you only see chicken ranches in Idaho, don’t expect to procure a penthouse in Manhattan.

• Licensing and Credentials:  The internet makes it easy-as-pie to verify the licensing of an agent. Information about additional credentials is also available. Some credentials include:  ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative), CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), and SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist).

•  Experience: If you choose an agent with fewer than five years of experience, you might be paying for his business education. Pass by the newly minted professionals and find a seasoned agent with an impressive sales record and portfolio.

•  Popularity Among Peers: Real estate agents who stand out and receive recognition from their peers do so for good reason. Superstars of the industry can rise quickly in this fiercely competitive industry. Hard work and genuine interest in helping clients find the property of their dreams are trademarks of these successful agents.

•  Up-to-date Tools: Have you ever worked with someone who primarily uses hard copies to transfer information? Perhaps this person does not have a website or even an email address (gasp!). Stapled pages of listings, long columns of data, the excessive waste of trees . . . it’s much better to go green and make use of online tools.

If your agent is using outdated means to keep abreast of and work within the real estate community, he is missing out and you will be, too. High tech tools like Google Maps and QR code readers help savvy real estate agents store and display property information electronically.  Quick access to the market is key to finding and buying the perfect property.

Spectrum Enterprises has an innovative approach to real estate brokerage, using new technology and social media platforms to penetrate the Baltimore area real estate market.