Questions to ask to find the right real estate agent

Questions to ask to find the right real estate agent

Whether you’re buying or selling a home or property, it’s important to find a real estate agent that is right for you. Your real estate agent should be someone that you can trust, depend on, and truly enjoy working with. It’s a balance of credentials and chemistry. After all, buying or selling a home is a big time in your life and the real estate agent should come along and make this life change smoother for you. Here are a few things to ask your potential real estate agent when looking for your perfect fit.

What is your average number of clients?

You’re probably thinking a lot about your upcoming sale or purchase of a new home or property. Shouldn’t the person you hire to help be focused on it as well? No one should feel like they’re forgotten or less-important to a super busy real estate agent with dozens of other clients they’re working with. If your agent is working with a high volume of clients, find out how they plan to remedy the situation should you need additional support. Do they have a team or staff to assist? Asking about their average number of clients or support staff ensures you know that you will be well taken-care of.

Are you equipped to handle my unique situation?

Just as every home is unique, so is every buying or selling situation. You could be a first-time buyer, a long-term investor, a retiree looking for a vacation home, a house flipper, or looking to sell an estate. The list goes on! Each scenario is unique and important so you don’t want an agent who is uncomfortable with this specific area. Ask the agent what unique issues could arise in your situation and how they would handle them.

How long have you lived in this area? 

Who you’re looking for is what we call a Hyperlocalist, or a person who is passionately focused on local concerns and local works. Do they know the area and are they plugged into the community and what’s going on? This helps with not only making a move/transition smoother because they will have recommendations for many different needs but it’s also important that they’re well-versed on the local codes and permits. This also should lead in to questions to help you know what to expect like, How many homes have you sold in my area? Were they in a similar price range as my home? How many of those homes sold at or near the list price?

These baseline questions are a great place to start when considering a number of real estate agents. At Visit A Paradise we have an incredible team of experienced, honest, and hard-working real estate agents plugged in to the Anna Maria Island/Bradenton/Ellenton/Sarasota area who are determined to make the home buying or selling process as seamless as possible. Our team has something for every one and can handle any buying or selling situation on the Gulf Coast. Give us a call at (800) 237-2252 to schedule a meeting or interview with one of our agents today!