How To Find The PERFECT Real Estate Agent from Mike Novak on Vimeo.

Buying or selling a home is frequently the biggest financial decision that someone makes in their life. Who you chose to represent them you such a large financial transaction is a major decision that’s not to be taken lightly.  All too often, we see people default to their "friend" that happens to be a real estate agent - sometimes leaving them with sub-par performance, a disappointing experience, and ostly mistakes that could have been avoided or conceptualized with more experience.  

When you’re in the market to buy or sell a home, your first priority is to make sure you make the right decision for yourself and your family. Your best tool in finding and closing on that perfect home is going to be the real estate agent (and team) that you decide to partner up with, so don't just choose someone you have a relationship with - choose someone that has the experience to do the right job and the reviews to prove it. 

Here are four areas of focus that will help you pick the right real estate agent. (These will be covered even more in the video right at the end of this post)

Places to find real estate agents

The first question is where you should look for an agent. Some people settle for a sub-par agent simply because they don't know where to look for another one. Here are a few places to find real estate agents:

• By referral. Great agents leave great impressions. Chances are, if you ask around in your network, there will be a few agents that people have used and seen great results with in the past.

• Like so many things in life, you can also google it. There are all kinds of websites and reviews for realtors online. If you’re looking for a realtor in Snohomish County, for example, just google “Snohomish County Realtor” (although, if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re already on the right website)

• Zillow also has great agent listings and verified reviews 

What to look for in an agent

Once you know where to look, it’s important to know what to look for. First, independent agents might have a great skillset, but you’ll be relying entirely on one person. When you pick a team of realtors, you’ll be able to count on someone else from the team if your specific agent is having problems. Besides that, you’ll also want to look at each agents online reviews and the amount of homes they’ve sold recently. 

Danger zones!

There’s a difference between a great friend and a great real estate agent. You probably have friends that you love, but wouldn’t necessarily want to go into business with. The same applies with realtors. Sometimes agents who are more distanced from you personally will act more professionally and provide a fresh perspective in your buying/selling process. Another thing that’s it’s important to look out for part-time agents who might not have the same understanding of the current market. This goes along with the 80/20 rule, which is very applicable in real estate (more on this in the video). 

Value added

Finally, and most importantly, what will your agent/team do for you? Great agents are dependable, available, and experts in the market. They’ve had success navigating other buyers through the process and will do the same for you. If you pick the right one, the home buying process will be enjoyable and stress free for you and your family - not to mention, you’ll receive the benefits of making a good decision for years to come. 

We take our clients home buying or home selling experience very seriously, and we encourage all of our potential clients to read reviews on our team so they can see what it is like to work with us. You can see our reviews on Zillow here.