What advice would you give to a friend on choosing a real estate agent to help buy or sell a home?  Let me offer up some suggestion based on my own experience with professionals in other fields.  After all, you don’t trust your personal health and financial well being to just anyone without doing a little research.  Hopefully, you did your homework before choosing a dentist, an accountant or a day care for your child or grandchild.  Why should choosing a real estate agent be any different?

There are four general areas that you will likely consider before engaging any professional on your behalf – and selecting a real estate agent should be no different.  You will benefit by researching and choosing an individual who is qualified and committed to taking care of your needs.  In simplest terms, you should choose a real estate agent based on reputation, knowledge, experience and professionalism. 

Your friends, work associates and others that you know might be a good resource for determining if your prospective agent has a good reputation.  If you’re fortunate enough to know individuals who have been a client of the agent, you may want to inquire about their level of satisfaction. Was the agent responsive to the client?  Did the agent set performance expectations and live up to them?  Did the client’s needs always come first?

Just like in any business, some agents are more knowledgeable than others.  It would be wise to select an agent who is up to date on the market trends – both locally and nationally.  Market knowledge is critical in relation to home values, neighborhood and community services, property appreciation, financing and much more.  Most of this knowledge comes from real world experiences learned over time…only a small portion can be learned by spending a few days in a class or online research.  Many agents have earned designations that indicate successful completion of specialized study.  But be sure to ask questions if you’re looking for proficiency in a certain area.  For example, if you need an agent with an expertise in providing services to seniors, ask questions and determine if they really do know their stuff.

In these difficult times, you will benefit from choosing an experienced agent with a track record of being a problem solver.  A majority of today’s transactions require creative strategies to work through marketing, negotiation and financing issues. You may want to ask your prospective agent if they are engaged as full-time or part-time real estate agent.  It might surprise you to learn that only a small percentage of agents close more than 10 transactions in good year.   

Your objective should be to select an agent with the reputation, knowledge and experience to represent your best interests whether you’re selling or buying a home.  If you’ve chosen well, you will have found an agent that demonstrates professionalism at every turn – prompt, courteous, honest, organized and capable of delivering on their promises.

Originally posted November 16, 2008