Let’s learn about picking a real estate agent.

Now, if your family or friends have bought or sold a home, you may be tempted to use their agent. What you want to do is cross check those recommendations. And when I say that I mean go ahead and do a Google search. You’re going to be looking for the agent’s ratings, reviews and their past sales performance. Any other professional or even personal information will be helpful as well. This is a person you’re going to work with for at least a few weeks. You want to make sure they’re a person you actually like. A home is major investment, whether you’re buying or selling. It’s one of the biggest purchases most of us will ever make! note: The National Association of Realtors was punished in 2024 and the commission structures are being forced to change.

Ratings make a difference

An agent’s star rating will tell you a lot about them. Most importantly, it will tell you how well they work with others. Now, don’t discount someone if they don’t have a five star rating. Nobody’s perfect, right? On the other hand, a one or two star rating is very telling.

How many reviews an agent has effects how you should see them. The more the better of course! If they have ten reviews and five of them talk about something specific, believe it. For instance, if most people said contact was minimal, it’s probably true. One five star review is great but, how many people have they actually worked with? Which brings me to my next point…

Check their client testimonials

Do you like an agent’s star rating? Great! Let’s go ahead check out their client testimonials. Client testimonials are extremely impactful because these are real people. Testimonials can accompany a star rating or be stand alone. Reading through these will really help in picking a real estate agent for yourself. What are other people’s likes and dislikes? If someone else is upset about the agent not working on Sundays… But you spend your Sundays on relax mode, that won’t be a problem. Surprisingly, not too many sites have real estate agent reviews. The USDRE pulls from all over the web so it’s by far the most complete source. Zillow is second.

How many sales have they made in the last year?

This is important in picking a real estate agent because you want to know how active they are. Of course the housing market changes quite a bit but if they have zero sales in the last twelve months? Well, why? Don’t be afraid to ask them when you first speak. Rules are ever changing so the more often they have transactions can assure you their knowledge in these changes. You want them to be aware of the market conditions and trends in your location. Can they assist you with insights on the market and stay on top of all the paperwork and documentation?

What about licensing?

There’s a big difference between someone that’s passionate about what they do and those that aren’t. Did you know that all states require agents to have a license to do real estate? Will it make an agent good at it? No. Having a license is a must but it certainly doesn’t make them good at their job.

Work with a good Real Estate Team

I’m all about the team. I’m all about the company. What we can do to help you? Most agents don’t totally work alone. Especially good ones – they have an assistant, apprentice, or simply work with other great agents. I love this approach because your primary agent can be sick or need a vacation. Having a team that works together with you is a fantastic way to ensure you get a good result fast. They catch each other’s errors (we’re all human), availability opens up, and so forth. Don’t be afraid to ask a potential agent how many other people they work with. This will be helpful as you’re picking a real estate agent.