As a real estate agent, my strengths and experience aren't going to appeal to everyone. Maybe you have a passion for fly fishing or are a fashionista or you are a passionate member of PETA --- none of those are my strong suit. Our personalities may not be aligned, and it would be like jamming a square peg into a round hole.
The truth is that any realtor can get the job done, so having a well-defined system for sorting through all 36,000 of us in Colorado is key. Here are the steps you should go through to select the perfect fit for your situation:
Step #1 Start With Your Big 'WHY?'
Why are you selling or buying a property? Every person knows the why behind it, otherwise you have no reason to be doing it: not enough space where you currently live, hate paying rent to a bad landlord, want to make money as an investment, expanding family, downsizing from current lifestyle, moving out of state, save money, legacy home to pass down through family, moving to a better neighborhood, etc.
There's a myriad of reasons to do either, but without knowing your 'why?' you can't possibly find the right real estate agent to match your needs. If you care about achieving a top dollar sale, go with an agent that has a long list of record sales. If you care about having children to play with your children in your new neighborhood, choose an agent that knows the best schools and growing family areas in your state. If you're looking to have the same amount of space but save some money, talk to an agent that is very financially conscious. Once you've nailed it, then move onto...
Step #2 Research a List of Realtors
There are two scenarios that dictate where you should start. You either already know a few realtors by name OR you don't know any realtors at all.
For those that know a few realtor names, start with the agent's website. If you have their business card or name, you can simply start with Google and search for their name followed by their company name, and that should be enough to make it pop up. If you don't have any luck, I would hope you can find them on social media! Most of us have an Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter account --- sometimes even Pinterest and Tumblr.
You're looking for them to complement your big 'why?' and make sure they showcase the personality fit you're looking for. Are they a family man? Do they enjoy travel like you do? Are they big into sports? Have they done any deals at all? What do they care about? Each post should help give you some insight into what that agent is all about in both professional and personal life.
If you do find their page, start sifting through it... you're already on mine! I use it to write my blog posts, but there are other areas you can review my service offerings and past clients (still under construction because I'm a slow website designer). The agent's website should give you at least a vague sense of what a deal would look like if you used them as your agent. Their website should enhance your confidence in them, and, since an agent is an extension of yourself, it should make you feel as though they are going to hold their interests ahead of your own. You should think, "Yea, I can see him working with us." --- if it doesn't make you think that, then move on to another one.
If you DON'T know a bunch of realtors, go to a bunch of open houses in your neighborhood of choice. There's always a realtor present, and most of the time these realtors are the ones that actively work in your neighborhood. No amount of online testimonials or opinions from others can replace an in-person meeting.
If you don't want to go through the hassle of driving around and writing your name on a bunch of sign-in sheets, then start online! 90% of all internet property searches start on Zillow, so many of us realtors that understand the importance of Zillow have reviews on it. Although I haven't been the best at asking my past clients for recommendations, I do have 9 reviews out of the 29 deals I've done (as of this posting). Here's my profile so you can see how it works.
Do a search for properties in your desired neighborhoods, and you'll find a bunch of listings that are actively being listed by an agent! The other 3 options under that agent are just people advertising on Zillow. Go to their Zillow profiles, and then GO TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA!
***Don't just take a glowing review at face value --- the people that were genuinely happy with how a transaction turned out may not have the same values or end-goals as you do! Remember that it's about YOUR big 'why?' not theirs. Dig deeper than the surface!***
Step #3 Sit Down With Your Top 2 (or More)
This step sometimes gets lost depending on the immediacy of things. I've had deals where someone was moving in from California and I never got to sit down with them to go over the whole process. It was very much a 'Fire!, Ready, Aim' situation instead of a 'Ready Aim, Fire!' one. So when able, definitely sit down and meet your realtor face to face.
I personally like grabbing coffee, but lunch or happy hour works too. Spend about an hour getting to know them and their process. The realtor will likely lead the conversation anyway, so just go with it! You'll be looking for affirmations that the person you researched online is actually the person you're meeting now.
Ask as many questions as you want, if anything is weighing on your mind about the process of selling or buying a home, just lay it on the table. Negotiation style is actually a topic that rarely gets brought up. Try asking, "If we're dealing with an unreasonable Seller, how would you negotiate the price down?" It will likely throw them for a loop, and you should really listen to how they answer! It's a costly mistake to go with a wishy-washy negotiator.
If they can answer all your tough questions and it makes sense to you, great! If they sound like an idiot and stumble over themselves or make you confused, then hopefully your other meeting goes better.
Step #4 Wait for Follow-Up Calls!! (optional)
This is kind of an optional step, but I like to throw it in here because it shows professionalism. I appreciate being treated the way I expect, and if you're dealing with a ridiculously BUSY agent that barely had the time for a cup of coffee --- how do you think he/she is going to treat you when the time comes to sell or buy a house? It's a sign of decency, and a sign that they want your business.
If you're going based on Zillow, you're just going to get the top agents that are the most busy. That's fine in some ways because they know the market, but that doesn't always mean they're the best fiduciary for you, and that is truly what a Realtor aims to be and our legal obligation to you as a client.
Step #5 Choose Your Realtor
This one is easy. If you've interviewed 3 realtors, choose the one that best fits your interests and give the other 2 the bad news that they didn't make the cut.
Choosing that 1 realtor to represent you is as easy as going with your gut decision. Like I said, ANY of us can get the job done, so using your gut instinct is the best way to decide. If you got a wonky feeling from one realtor, a good feeling from another, and a confused feeling from the other --- choose the one that gave you a good feeling. Or you can always go back to the drawing board and interview a few more.
The irony of all of this is that the average person knows about 12 realtors, and the average Buyer/Seller interviews only 1 or 2.
When you've decided on your realtor, making those tough phone calls again shows decency on your part. If they don't ask you "what could I have done to earn your business?" or some other similarly phrased question, then they are just looking at you as a number. The good ones will want to know how they can improve!
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Don't get sucked into the vortex of advertising and nonsense that's out there to distract you. Discount brokers, true sales-y personalities that only care about their bottom line, and imposters are all over the place. Even my colleagues have gotten sucked in!
--- one of my colleagues sent out a referral based on an email that we receive every month. It's from the same broker, in the same location, and this person sends it to my entire company of brokers every month. When the referral reported back, they said "we can't deal with his bad breath! He's like a Vegas-style salesmen, chews gum constantly, and we just can't stand him!"
Don't let this be you! Do your research, and be sure there's a good connection to your big 'why?' before you dive in!
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