By Dian Hymer
A couple from San Francisco hooked up with an agent from El Cerrito, Calif., who gave them a cursory tour through the Oakland, Calif., hills. The buyers were less than impressed with the houses they saw. It turns out that the El Cerrito agent was out of his league. He should have realized this and referred the buyers to an agent who knew the Oakland market.
Instead, the buyers dropped the El Cerrito agent and started scouting Oakland open houses on their own. As soon as they found an Oakland agent they liked who knew the territory, they started seeing listings that they actually wanted to buy.
Finding the right agent can make a big difference in your real estate experience. You might get lucky and find a home to buy on your own. And, some sellers actually find a buyer for their home without the help of an agent. However, a recent study done by the National Association of Realtors showed that real estate agents are involved in 80 percent of single-family home sale transactions.
Most home buyers and sellers want an agent who is professional, ethical, trustworthy, personable and who has experience working in the local marketplace. In addition, there are more subtle qualities that can effect how satisfied you'll be with the service you receive from an agent.
Good agents are good listeners. If an agent talks more than you do during your initial interview, you may want to consider finding a different agent who can focus in on your housing needs. It's a waste of time to look at listings that don't work for you. You can do this on your own by canvassing public open houses. Your agent needs to understand what you want and need in a home in order to shortcut the search process for you.
Good agents are good communicators. This means that they explain the idiosyncrasies of the real estate business in a manner that you can understand. It also means that they communicate with you on a regular basis. One of the biggest complaints about real estate agents is that they don't communicate often enough.
House Hunting Tip: Good agents return your calls quickly. You should hear back from an agent within 24 hours or sooner if you indicate that your call is urgent. Your real estate agent is your lifeline to the other players in your real estate transaction: the other real estate agent, the mortgage person, the appraiser, the title officer, etc. You rely on your agent to communicate effectively with everyone involved in the transaction. An agent who doesn't consider prompt communication a high priority can cause you a lot of trouble.
Good agents are a wealth of information and resources. They can refer you to the various professionals you will need to work with to complete your home purchase or sale. They will help you find answers to your questions if they don't know all the answers themselves.
Good agents understand that good service is the lifeblood of their business. They won't work beyond their area of expertise. And they won't take on more work than they can handle competently. It's far better for an agent to tell you upfront that he's not taking on any new clients. Otherwise, you could be stuck with an agent who is so over-loaded that you don't receive the service you deserve.
The Closing: It's good to work with a busy agent who is up on local market activity. But, it can be very frustrating to work with an agent who doesn't have enough time for you.
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