HOW TO PICK AN AGENT

"Do you like your agent and do they know things?"

So you need a real estate agent. You ask your friends and family, you google, you end up with no less than 423 possibilities and that's after narrowing it down from the 5000 available in your area. NOW WHAT?!? HOW DO I DECIDE??

We could tell you to look for someone with the Realtor® designation and 99.9% of the time you should. That designation means we are members of the National Association of Realtors® and we adhere to a very strict code of ethics. We could tell you to look for the most experience, the ones with the most awards, the names most well known in your area and well. . .all that doesn't mean crap. Except the experience part, that can be useful. But the awards? Most of them are made up based on how much money an agent makes and let's be real, "number 1" could mean a million things. Number 1 in what?? Volume?? Cool, as a member of the general public do you even know what that means?

Promise we're not knocking on other agents here, I think this is a common issue across all industries and society in general. We're so easily swayed by awards and fancy names and the bling bling of it all when we rarely know what those things even mean. I know, I know, so now what? How the heck do I pick?

First, referrals and recommendations. Who have your friends and family used and loved? Who has a bunch of positive online reviews from real people? Next, who feels like a good fit? When you go to their website, Facebook page, Instagram, who feels right? Yes, it's the internet and you can trust like .1% of it, but you can pick up on a vibe. Does it feel right?

Next, TALK TO MULTIPLE AGENTS. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE when you all come out of nowhere and say hey, I want to work with you, I'm not talking to anyone else! But normally, that is because you got a very strong referral from someone you trust. But really, more often than not, unless you are a close friend or family member who really knows me, I generally recommend talking to at least one other person. Don't worry, if we're meant to be, you'll come back to me.

And then, 2 simple questions. Do you like your agent and do they know things? Seriously, that's it. You spend a lot of time and get into a lot of personal details with your agent. You need to like them as a person. You need to trust them, you need to feel comfortable with them, you need to feel good around them. It's kind of like picking a spouse or a puppy, you just know. But also, you need to make sure they know things. A lot of things. The market, how to negotiate, how to write up a million different legal documents, how to read title work and navigate inspections, the list goes on. If you aren't positive if they know those things, you need to feel confident they have a network to turn to that does. Just because someone is new and maybe doesn't know those things themselves, as long as they have a solid network backing them up and are willing to put in the work, you're golden.

Realtors® are a dime a dozen in this market, but there's good reason for that. We all bring something very unique to the table and we all have our own, special way of doing things which means there is someone for everyone! Spouses, puppies, Realtors® . . . take your time finding the perfect one and live happily ever after.