Hiring a real estate agent- Bizpals

Hiring Real Estate Agents

HIRING REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Buying and/or selling or a house is probably going to be the most important financial transaction of your life. There are a lot of things to consider, from assessing market value to home inspections and open houses to the closing process. Don't worry--having the right real estate agent is going to make it a lot easier. If you try to find a real estate agent by looking at real estate ads and calling numbers at random, you may end up with an agent you didn't select. Using the BizPals reviews will help you find a real estate agent who's a great fit to help you find just the right house for you and your family.

USING BIZPALS TO HELP YOU SELECT A REAL ESTATE AGENT

The reviews in BizPals will help you to find a real estate agent who is a great fit for your house hunting. Your budget, the kind of architecture you like, whether you want a fixer-upper or something ready to move into—you need a realtor who understands your situation. BizPals connects you with reviews written by customers like you and the peer endorsements for the professionals they review. Using BizPals will help you find a real estate agent you can rely on.

CHECKLIST FOR HIRING A REAL ESTATE AGENT

1. It's important to make sure that your real estate agent is licensed, and that the license is up-to-date.
2. Don't be shy about asking if your real estate agent works part-time or full-time. This may or may not affect the amount of time they can devote to your needs, but it make sense to know their schedule in advance. Will they be available to work with you on weekends?
3. Find out what the real estate agent's commission will be and decide if this works with your budget.
4. If you are selling, ask what the realtor's marketing strategy for your property is: Multiple Service Listings, newspaper ads, direct-mailings, signage in your yard, virtual internet tours? The realtor's knowledge of the market conditions should guide their plan for selling your house.
5. If you are buying, ask about the realtor's strategy for finding you a house. How many houses on average should you expect to view before finding the right house for you? Will you be competing against other buyers?
6. If you are open to buying a foreclosed home, ask if your real estate agent has any experience working with foreclosures.
7. Discuss whether the realtor offers assistance with staging your home for sale, or with arranging for repairs to be done that will increase your house's marketability.
8. Can your real estate agent recommend suitable contractors to carry out renovation if necessary? The yard is often overlooked when staging a house for sale, can your realtor recommend a landscaping and gardening service to give your property a makeover?
9. Does the realtor organize open houses? If so, do they recommend any screening of people attending the open house? Many people who attend open houses will never buy. Ask what percentage of sales, on average, result from open houses before you decide if it's a worthwhile strategy.
10. Ask if you can review the documents that will be involved in your real estate transaction. If you are a seller, ask to see the listing agreement, the agency disclosure and the seller disclosure. If you are a buyer, ask to see the purchase agreement, the buyer's disclosure, the agency disclosure and the buyer's broker agreement.
11. Check if your real estate agent will be able to recommend experienced professionals in other fields who can help you: for instance, mortgage lenders, home inspectors, and title companies.
12. Ask if your real estate agent provides relocation services. Will they be able to help you with finding a moving company, turning on utilities, etc?

CHECKLIST FOR WORKING WITH YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT

• Communication is key when working with your real estate agent. Establish how often you will communicate per day and week, and whether you would prefer to get phone calls, emails, or text alerts. Does your real estate agent keep strict business hours or are you able to call to call them in the evenings if an issue arises?
• It's essential to make sure that your realtor knows as much about you as possible. If you have a list of features that you must have in a house (three bathrooms, a yard, a south-facing exposure, a hobby room, a pool), write them down and give the list to your realtor.
• If you are selling, make a list of all the desirable points and features of your property and give it to your real estate agent. The more they know, the easier it will be for them to help you with this important transaction.
• If you are willing to buy a house that needs renovation, make sure your realtor knows this; it could expand the number of options considerably.
• If you are looking for information about a neighborhood, you should be aware that by law a realtor cannot answer questions about the ethnic or religious makeup of a neighborhood. This could be considered “steering,” and is illegal. Similarly, when listing your house, an agent is prohibited from using language that could be discriminatory. You may consider that your neighborhood is particularly suitable for seniors, but it would be illegal for the realtor to say so in the listing.
• Does your real estate agent have a presence in social media? Sometimes promising leads can be found via Facebook if you feel comfortable with less traditional search strategies.