How to do Due Diligence on a Realtor Before You Hire Them
If you’re thinking of selling or buying a home, a great first step is hiring an experienced local real estate agent. Knowing you’re working with someone who has your best interests at heart makes this endeavor significantly less stressful.
As does everything in the digital age, the search for the best real estate agent begins on the Internet. Instead of spending your time interviewing a dozen realtors, you can use the web and your friends to find three or four realtors who might be a good fit for you before meeting in person.
The question is, what should you be looking for when researching agents? Here’s how to do your due diligence on a local realtor:
Do They Have Experience with Homes Like Yours?
Before you start researching potential realtors’ reputations, you want to make sure they meet the most important requirement, and that’s experience. There are more than 60,000 real estate professionals in Miami-Dade Country, and all have a varying level of experience.
A quick place to start: go to Zillow’s Real Estate Agent Reviews and type in your municipality : Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables, South Miami, et cetera. There you’ll see how many homes they sold in your neighborhood in the past 12 months and how many since Zillow was created.
This is an essential requirement because it tells you that the realtor’s advice comes from real-world experience in similar situations. When your realtor tells you how they’d price your home or what their selling strategy is, you know they aren’t just winging it. They’re doing what has worked in the past.
Do They Have Lots of Active Listings?
Another essential requirement is activity. You want to work with a realtor who is up to date with the most current market information. Someone who is in the trenches and can tell you what to expect in this process. An active realtor is a relevant, thriving realtor who understands how to market a property and reach today’s buyers and sellers.
You can gauge a realtor’s activity by examining their current listings on their website as well as sites such as Zillow.
Do Their Previous Clients Leave Reviews?
Now that you’ve gotten these two essential requirements – experience & activity – out of the way, you can look for the final piece of the puzzle: a stellar reputation. Yes, lots of realtors have good reputations, but only some do so much for their clients that they feel compelled to write reviews.
You can find reviews for realtors on their websites, social media accounts, and their profiles on Zillow, Redfin, or Realtor.com. Look for reviews in which the client explains how the realtor helped them overcome challenging circumstances, since unforeseen obstacles are very common in this business. When adversity strikes in some form, you want to be sure you’re working with someone who adapts and stays positive.
If you’re ready to buy or sell your home, the Kern Team is happy to be a part of your due diligence. We’re confident you’ll be pleased at what you see when you research our reputation. Better yet, give us a call and we’ll show you our expertise firsthand. Selling or buying a home can be a beautiful experience with the right team by your side.
