What You Should Look for In a Real Estate Agent

Barbara Logan

The tighter the market, the higher the demand, which has been the case for today’s housing market since COVID-19. As the monthly supply of homes for sale has fallen and housing prices increased, provoking fierce competition for everyone, what does a potential home buyer do in landing a house? To get the answers we need, we must ask the right probing questions that will take us there.

Here are some tactics that will give you the advantage of finding the right real estate agent for you:

At this moment, there’s not enough inventory for today’s agents; this market’s aggression will show you who is for you and who is solely looking out for themselves. A solid recommendation to look for is connection and responsiveness in an agent. Here’s where connections come to play; connections between you and your real estate are great, but I’d also like you to consider “outsourcing connections.”

You know the saying, “it’s not what you know; it’s whom you know” well, this also applies to the knowledge of different channels an agent has that can give you the advantage of staying ahead. -because a well-rounded networking team will continuously leverage the “real estate game.”

Questions that seek out an agent’s ability to network and connect well:

• Whom can you recommend (fill in the blank)?

Mortgage broker, appraiser, inspector, real estate lawyer, general contractor, moving companies, and anything that involves home buying-*networking is critical in a competitive market.

• Do you have a list of references?

Review. Review. Review. Hear what others have to say about an agent’s communication and working style because this will give you an understanding of what to expect.

In a fast-changing market, an agent is to be responsive to today’s trends.

A recent study showed downsizing became obsolete and larger homes became the new trend -39% of millennials returned home, married couples with children moving in with parents or inviting their parents to live with them to assist with childcare (Markarian,2020). Hearing how a real estate agent is responsive to today’s trends shows their ability to shift when there’s achange indirection. Questions that seek out an agent’s ability to respond well to today’s market trends:

• How many homes within this year have you closed?
• How have the market trends changed in the last five years?

The questions above not only tell you how long an agent has been doing business; it also reveals their ability to keep up with local trends. It is essential to note that an agent who wants you informed and is willing to educate you will always be your best call.

Questions that will help you detect red flags:

• What are some strategies to help buyers compete in this market?
• How do you determine which home suits my needs and preferences?
• What is your rule in explaining the home buying process from start to finish?

Today, I want to encourage you to look for creative ways to combine questions that provoke deeper insight toward obtainable goals that place real expectations within the stages, procedures, timelines, and paperwork of buying a home. The worth of your investment will always be at the heart of effective communications of information exchange. And remember MilHousing Network is here for you with vetted military real estate experts throughout the U.S., contact us to get connected. Happy hunting!

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Markarian, Kevin, 2020. Real Estate In 2020: Top Trends In A Year No One Could Have Predicted. Forbes.https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesrealestatecouncil/2020/12/01/real-estate-in-2020-top-trends-in-a-year-no-one-could-have-predicted/?sh=637ff5799143