Good real estate agent can make the difference
Buying or selling a home, one thing is for sure -you’ll be spending a lot of time with your agent. That’s one good reason, says Sotheby’s agent Karen Karpman, to ensure that client and agent understand each other.
“I’m an instinctual person so I tend to pair up well with the same type of people,” says Karpman, who has a roster of satisfied clients. “You’re in their home, in their closet -in their life,” she says. “They have to feel right about you, confident that you’re going to represent their interests.
“We have to enjoy each other’s company.”
With a buyer, one of the interests that must be sorted from the start is to identify what they want. “If someone were to call me up and say, ‘I don’t know where I want to be, maybe here, or there,’ that’s not a client for me,” Karpman says.
“On the other hand, there are people I’ve worked with for years before finding something for them. Because I like them.”
It helps if a client has a good sense of location and price range, she says. “I question them about the size of place they want, the way they live, even the view.
“I’m working with a client right now and we had certain parameters. She thought she wanted to buy something that she would renovate, then we saw a new construction, and it turned out she loved the view. View mattered to her, and she didn’t realize it herself until then.”
When dealing with a seller, the price is really critical. It’s important to agree on a pricing strategy, Karpman says. Sellers can sometimes feel that agents try to price low to sell, but the reality is that if the property is priced too high it will discourage visits and ultimately the sale. Plus more time on the market is often a crucial factor in lowering the sale price.
Nevertheless, Karpman always will listen to the price the seller believes is right. “You do have comparables, so you know what sold before,” she says. “I may defer to their thinking and say, ‘We’ll try, and if the reaction shows this price is not right, then we’ll modify it.’ Sometimes you can be surprised. “
According to Canada Real Estate Advisor online, here are some of the characteristics of a good agent:
-¦They’re eager to help you find the right home, and will do their homework.
-¦They will follow up to find out if you want to see more houses and will make it easy for you to get a viewing.
-¦They will listen to your comments and concerns.
That’s not all. In addition to feeling comfortable with that person, experts say that an agent must have a solid knowledge of the real estate market wherever you are planning to buy and of the purchase process. They must also be good at negotiating, and have a strong sense of purpose and tenacity -ready to fight for you, the client.
A good real estate agent, by definition, comes with a good reputation, so search for feedback from previous clients. Many agents will include testimonials on their websites. Look for an agent with years of experience -although you needn’t discount a novice if he or she has something to show for their time on the job.
You also need the type of agent who will be honest if your place needs staging in order to present more attractively.
Find out, as well, if the agent has been easily available to previous clients and is willing to go that extra mile to show a place as soon as it comes up, or to be creative in advertising a client’s home when it’s put on the market.