The real estate agent you choose to help you buy or sell a home can make the process a walk in the park, or a nightmare. The home buying and selling process is stressful enough — your agent should be 100% in your corner at all times, fighting for you to get the best deal rather than working to get the biggest commission possible. You want a well-qualified agent who is also a creative problem solver and resourceful when necessary.
Here are 5 things to watch out for when you want to hire a good Kansas City Realtor to help you buy or sell a home:
Your agent acts like a used-car salesman: From the first phone conversation, you should feel confident that your agent has your best interests at heart and is not pushing you into anything. If you have an agent who comes across as unprofessional, self-absorbed, too busy to care, too arrogant to listen or too willing to push you off on a home that you don’t really like, beware. Your agent should be more of an advisor than a salesman.
Your agent is never around: If you’re working with an assistant more than your agent, that’s a big red flag. Selling your home should be a priority for the agent, no matter the selling price or neighborhood. Likewise, helping you buy a home should warrant as much of his or her time as is required, no matter your budget. Hiring a “top producer” Kansas City Realtor may not be a good move, as they may focus most of their time on multimillion-dollar homes and not yours.
Your agent gives untimely responses: You can’t expect your agent to be available 24/7, but you should expect him or her to respond to your calls and emails in a timely manner. If they return your call the same day, that’s good. If they answer several days later, that’s not.
Your agent is part-time: Experts say hiring a full-time agent is critical. If real estate is their career, as opposed to a side job, they’ll be more knowledgeable on trends, hot neighborhoods and new subdivisions, and be more likely to have good contacts, from inspectors to lenders. Do your homework though, experts advise. Ask the agent for his or her resume, references and Google the Realtor’s name for reviews. Check the agent’s state license and find out if he or she belongs to the National Association of Realtors.
Your agent isn’t into details: Most buyers shop online for homes, so a professional stager and great pictures are required. If your agent doesn’t provide these to help sell your home, you might not have the best agent. Whatever you do, don’t let an agent take the listing photos of your home! And always ask to see the online listing before your agent posts it. The information may be wrong or misleading. A good Realtor will ask many questions about your home in order to include as many listing details as possible to attract buyers. More important, if you’re preparing to put your home on the market and your Kansas City Realtor hasn’t done a Comparative Market Analysis — which requires an agent to look at similar homes nearby that have sold in the past three to six months to come up with an asking price — he’s not worth his salt. You need to know what your home is truly worth.
When it comes to finding a Kansas City Realtor, you have to choose wisely. Buying and selling a home can be a scary process, so it’s important to find an agent who is experienced and who is truly on your side. Check out the reviews, and then call Team Real Estate. We are your local team of real estate experts, and we’ll always work hard to help you buy or sell your home. Visit www.teamre.com.