How to Choose an Awesome Real Estate Agent

Tips to help you find the best real estate agent and what to look for when choosing a great agent

Congratulations! You are either buying or selling a home (or at least thinking about it) and that is an amazing accomplishment worthy of celebration!! However, in order to do it efficiently and correctly you now need to choose the best possible real estate agent out there.

With so many agents available to you, choosing the best one can be a confusing or even intimidating process. How do you pick a rockstar real estate agent that is also trustworthy? What are the real signs that an agent is awesome? Should you consider those new companies that buy and sell your house for you, no individual agents required?

In this post I’m going to cover all of these questions and more. So, when you find yourself needing to transfer some property, read on to find out how to choose an awesome real estate agent.

Do You Even Need a Real Estate Agent?

This might be the first question in everyone’s minds when they think about buying or selling real estate. Bill Gassett fantastically lays out some of the many reasons you should have a buyer’s agent when purchasing a house.

It’s incredibly beneficial to have someone on your side who’s experienced, well connected, and able to help you make what may be one of the biggest decisions of your life. Think of it like this:

Agents buy and sell houses like the head of a family household would buy groceries. It becomes so much easier to go through a process when you do it that frequently. You become familiar with all the details that go into it and become organized.

Meal planning, taking inventory, making a list, shopping the deals, and checking out. You can also quickly troubleshoot any problems that might arise. They’re out of Cheerios? Sub in Frosted Flakes instead. Forget toothpaste? You can order online.

Also if you go to the same store often enough, you get to know the people that work there too. You know who is best to ask for help and when. You also know what is a good fair price because you are constantly paying attention and tracking those things.

It’s the same way with real estate agents and their network of professionals. Wouldn’t you rather do a major process like buying/selling a home with someone who’s like an expert grocery store couponer?

What is an iBuyer Company, and Should You Consider Using One?

The debate surrounding the question of needing an agent has also exploded recently. We’ve started to see a huge industry shift caused by so-called iBuyer companies like Opendoor, Knock, and Offerpad.

Their business model is to buy your house and sell it themselves (if you’re selling) or offer their inventory of homes for sale (if you’re buying). If everyone switched to using these companies, it could potentially put most agents out of business. Which, as you can imagine, doesn’t go over well with agents.

Agent bias aside, these companies do offer you some interesting benefits. If you didn’t want to deal with the stress of waiting through the home selling process or were on a time crunch, having someone guaranteed to buy your house could be ideal.

Or if like most people with many things these days you want to be able to conveniently purchase from anywhere at anytime, their services are available for that. All of this offered for a fee, of course.

iBuyer Companies Have a Place, and So Do Real Estate Agents

Regardless, I don’t think the need for having a real estate agent will ever completely go away. They are just that helpful. Like any consultant service, the value is in having someone help guide you.

Someone who is more experienced and whose success depends on your success will always be in your best interest. And a real pro can give you the most efficient advantages.

What Are the Real Signs of an Awesome Agent?

When you are looking to partner with a real estate agent, there are key signs you should look for that will tell you this person is excellent at what they do.

Find A Real Estate Agent By Word of Mouth Recommendations

I know you can’t always trust what your sister’s ex-boyfriend said about his old college roommate’s best friend, who is now an agent. BUT it is true that the most successful agents bring in around 70% of their clients from their clients.

What to Look For in the Best Real Estate Agent

When people have a great experience, they are usually dying to tell others about it. Since most people don’t know a ton of agents (unless they are in the biz!) because most people don’t buy and sell houses frequently, the awesome agent that helped them benefits greatly from this word of mouth.

The world of real estate agents, and any small business really, is interesting like that. Spending big bucks on advertising may bring in a subset of clients, but the agent who comes up again and again in friend circles is winning in the end.

Great Real Estate Agents Will Have Quick Response Times and Thorough Communication

Everyone knows communication is key, but who actually practices it? One of the biggest tell-tale signs of a fantastic agent is a prompt response that doesn’t leave you confused. If you reach out to an agent with questions, and it takes them all day to get back to you, they might just be too busy for your business.

Many agents who recognize the importance of this will have a system in place, whether that’s a team who can help you when they can’t or at least an automated response letting you know when they will get back to you.

Similarly, when someone doesn’t explain things well, or at all, it can lead to a bad experience for you in the process, especially if you are a first-time home buyer. Great agents will have the tools to help them answer your questions or the patience to explain things in multiple ways and multiple times.

The Best Real Estate Agents Have The Best Connections

Another sign that you’ve found an awesome real estate agent is that they have a network of great industry professionals. Some of the biggest things you will want to rely on your agent for are their connections, since for example I’d say most people don’t usually happen to know a stellar real estate attorney.

Your agent’s go-to group of service providers will form a kind of team for you during the home buying process, and it’s key that they can all work together efficiently. A great agent will have a shortlist of top professionals they enjoy working with and can recommend to you, because they’ve done this a time or two and have tested them out. This makes the overall experience for you that much better.

How Do You Find the Best Real Estate Agent?

Once you know what you’re looking for, the search is on. What’s great about agents is their whole business revolves around you having a great experience. They know referrals are their best chance of more business and anyone worth their license will adapt to do everything they can for that recommendation.

It’s just a matter of trying things out until you find someone who fits for you. You might realize you are very independent and don’t want to be hand-held the entire way, or you may decide you want all the help you can get. An awesome agent should be able to read you and change their methods, or at least directly ask you what you prefer.

If after a few interactions things are just not vibing, you may need to send them packing. There are more than enough agents out there dying to give you a fantastic experience, and this huge life event is not the time to “just deal”.

Know the Real Estate Agency Rules

Depending on your state, many agents have some sort of written agreement that acts as a contract for their service when you begin working with them. You should make sure you read the fine print here before signing on, and look for clear exit strategy requirements should things not work out.

It could be anywhere from just a written request to cancel, to some kind of reasonable fee if it’s been an extended amount of time. And while it’s important an agent protect their time, they should never want to make you feel forced to work with them – that’s a worse situation for everyone!

Concluding Choosing An Awesome Real Estate Agent

So above all, don’t be afraid to test the waters with potential agents. Just make sure if you are a buyer and need a mortgage that you are pre-approved first! Save yourself and others that time.

Have any other thoughts regarding how to choose the best real estate agent for you? Let me know in the comments!