How to Choose a Real Estate Agent

How to Choose a Real Estate Agent.  It is not really that difficult. 

The first thing most consumers do is head to the Internet to do a Google search.  If the process involves moving to Brevard County, Florida then that is the initial Google search.

With Google search result in hand how does a consumer know who to choose?  Is the person on page one of Google search an obvious choice?  Not really.

All the technology skills (or paid services and advertising) in the world will not replace these three components in choosing your real estate agent.

• local knowledge - Anyone can advertise on the Internet while knowing the who, what,  when, where and how of the neighborhood and surrounding area is a different thing.
• local experience - The customs, rules, practices and laws in real estate are local. 
• responsiveness.  Consumers should have a reasonable expectation when they choose a real estate agent they will be available by phone, email or face-to-face (as needed).   While it should be understood that real estate agents work with multiple customers at the same time an expectation a call will be returned within a couple of hours is reasonable.  DO THIS BEFORE HIRING ANY REAL ESTATE AGENT!

Lastly, if I had to give one piece of advice on choosing your real estate agent this is it... 

To have a real estate agent who is willing to tell you what you need to hear is more important than one who tells you what you want to hear.  After all, whether buying or selling, it is all about you!

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Here are some related articles about How to Choose Your Real Estate Agent.

• Sellers want to know these things above all else!

• Choose a real estate agent who understands this!

• Why do real estate agents ask all those questions?

• Some of the best real estate agents communicate like children. 

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No "Do Overs" in Real Estate

If the home buying or selling process mirrored government data keeping or reporting imagine how different things might be.  

I saw a report released this morning showing where the government had revised the first quarter 2014 gross domestic product (GDP).

"The economy, contracted at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.9% in the first three months of the year, according to the Commerce Department's third reading released Wednesday."

What would things be like if a buyer could reassess selling prices three months later and renegotiate the price they paid?  What if the sellers could do this?

And what about the home loans and interest rate terms?  What if  the buyer could get a lower rate three months later?   What about mortgage companies raising the rate because the previous quarter earnings were initially overstated?

Hindsight is 20/20, right?

Unfortunately, in the real estate market, there are no "do overs" or revised prices.

But there is a next time....

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Home Seller Tips: Do you make the repair or roll the dice?

Sometimes sellers, in the face of all this "get ready to sell" advice, have to decide if it really is worth it to do all this work!

Of course the answer for many of the little tasks is an overwhelming yes!  But what about things like replacing worn flooring?  After all few buyers really want to come in and replace carpet or deteriorating laminate or hard wood.

Some flooring experts I have spoken to have the same advice.  Go for inexpensive temporary (not lifetime warranted) flooring if needed but never invest too much.  There is likely to be much return on investment for a seller.

The key is to make the house look appealing and not like a rehab project in need of a low ball offer!

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Home Seller Tips: Dealing with "special" challenges when selling your home...

Unless a house is vacant there are often little challenges that have to be "worked" around.  A few of these "challenges" may involve one or more of these. 

Tenants.  Selling a tenant occupied home can be a real challenge.  A good relationship with your tenant will go a long way to help you sell.  Cooperative tenants make for easier access for showings, a potentially better presentation and less negative talk about the house or neighborhood which sometimes occurs when the tenants don't want to leave.

Pets.  I remember once I was scheduled to show a house with pit bull named "Satan" who would be in his crate.  He wasn't.   So we skipped the house. I love dogs...others don't!  Some people are afraid of dogs. If it has teeth, it has the potential of biting!   What happens if there is an accident?  This is a litigious society. Why open up yourself to a potential lawsuit? 

Work schedules.  Shift work is common.  Establishing a "published" showing availability and sticking to it will help sellers as well as make for fewer surprises.

Work at Home.  Along with the work schedules mentioned above there are many who work from home.  The nature of the work very often requires an environment where privacy is guaranteed (for example, call center support (medical/financial related jobs) that deal with personal sensitive information).  Again, schedules need to be adhered to in order to work.

These are not the only challenges that must be dealt with when selling a home but they do provide anyone who is considering selling their Viera, Florida home a few points to consider.

Ready to sell your Melbourne, Florida home?  Call me at 321-693-3850 or send me an email if I can help in any way.

 Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net