How to choose a Realtor?

When looking for a real estate agent, you probably want the best. But with so much information and ads on social media and online portals, even through postal services, how do you know what is hype and what is the real deal.

Here are a few tips that will help you find the right guy for the job:

Interact with recent clients

Mostly the real estate agents will have a list of testimonials and positive feedback on the webpage, but to get real information, ask them a list of properties sold in the past year, with the contact information of their clients.

Email, call or leave them a message. These are the people who will tell you how their actual experience was. They might even give you some handy tips or let you know about some better realtor with whom they had an even better experience.

Check their licensing

Realtors are licensed and disciplined by a state board. Check with this regulatory body if the estate agent in question has any complaints registered or if their license is viable etc. This information might also be available online.

Choose the Winner

“Realtor of the Year” and other such awards are usually given out by the state or local branch of NAR. These peer-given awards are huge endorsements and speak a lot about the person they are awarded to.

Look for the Right Credentials

Real estate agents have specialities just like doctors. Each category gets additional training and hence gives the realtor and upper hand in dealing with those particular criteria. Here are a few of the designations and their meanings:

            CRS : Certified Residential Specialist

            ABR : Accredited Buyer’s Representative

            SRES : Senior Real Estate Specialist

Look for these abbreviations on their business card or their website.

Their Experience

Ask them how long they have been in the business. If you less than five years in the business, it means, you are their guinea pig. They are learning on you.

Look at the latest Listing

Check all the latest listings online. This will give you a major outlook on who is doing what in the market. A good amount of listing from a realtor is a sign that they are in a healthy business but not too many that you will be ignored amongst them.

 Ask for other nearby properties for sale

A good experienced PA Real Estate agent will know this information on the top of his head. This shows his/her knowledge of the area which will help you find the best deal.