In many ways, searching for a new home is a thrilling and joyous experience. You and your family get to shop around and tour new homes. You can imagine what life in each house might look like.
However, the quality and efficacy of your house-hunting experience largely depend on your real estate agent. A good real estate agent can find you the perfect place for you and your family. A poor real estate agent, on the other hand, can make your whole experience tedious, uncomfortable, and unproductive.
At this point, you’re probably wondering how to find a realtor with your best interests at heart. We’re here to help you answer that question.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about how to find the best realtor in Kansas City.
Get Recommendations
You can hardly go wrong finding quality services by getting recommendations from people you trust. One of the best tips on how to find a realtor who is reliable is by asking your friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers for suggestions.
For a wider audience, log onto a community Facebook page and ask for recommendations from everyone in your town. People use these pages to buy, sell, trade, and share information with one another. Be prepared for a lot of feedback.
Research Client Reviews and Testimonials
Once you have a few options in mind, it’s time to do a little digging. After all, you can’t necessarily make the best choice off of one recommendation. Go online to find client reviews of the local real estate agents.
Most real estate agencies and independent agents will have client reviews and testimonials published on their websites. You may also be able to find them on their social media pages (namely Facebook and Instagram).
Find out what other homeowners have to say about each realtor’s pricing, communication skills, professionalism, efficiency, dedication, and so forth. Additionally, make sure you’re looking at clients providing feedback after buying a home.
The home buying experience is vastly different than the home selling experience. Some realtors are great at both ends of the transaction. However, other realtors are better at selling houses than helping people buy them, and vice versa.
Establish a Rapport With Prospective Realtors
While many consumers will tell you that learning how to find a realtor who’s best for your needs is all about their experience, we beg to differ. There’s nothing wrong with finding a real estate agent with years of experience, but you should not discount rapport and personality.
Rapport and personality can be the difference between a fun, engaging, and enjoyable home buying experience, and one that you want to be over as soon as possible. The right realtor will be passionate, understanding, and personable. As such, they’ll develop a good rapport with you and your family.
This can be favorable to an experienced realtor who’s obviously just in it for the paycheck. Buying a home is an incredibly personal experience. Thus, it calls for a personable real estate professional.
Ask About Pricing and Services
Learning how to find a real estate agent may come down to price comparisons. Do some homework to find the average rate of real estate agents in your area. However, before simply choosing the cheapest option, find out why each realtor charges what they do.
A more expensive real estate agent’s services may also include access to exclusive multiple listing agencies, round-the-clock communication, and home tours whenever you call or text.
Pricing is important, yes, but not as important as hiring the best real estate agent when buying a home or selling a home. Most often, you get what you pay for, even in property sales.
Find Out How Much of Their Attention You’ll Have
One of the most important factors of consideration when learning how to find a realtor is their customer service skills. How important are you to the real estate agent?
If they have too many clients, you may get put on the backburner. You may have trouble getting ahold of your realtor. It might also take days for them to get back to you, which could be disastrous if you’re trying to jump on a hot deal.
Alternatively, the real estate agent you hire could have a second part-time job. Though you must applaud their tenacity for working two jobs, it might mean they have less time and availability for you.
Ideally, you’ll find a realtor who is available all hours of the day. Obviously, you shouldn’t be calling or texting them past eight in the evening, but you shouldn’t struggle to get ahold of them during the day.
Make Sure They Are a Good Listener
Your agent’s goal shouldn’t be getting you into a house as soon as possible. It should be getting you into the right house as soon as possible based on your parameters or specifications.
Therefore, learning how to find the best realtor means finding an agent who knows how to listen and follow directions. Otherwise, you’ll end up touring homes outside your price range, too far from work, in the wrong neighborhoods, etc.
A good real estate agent will help you find the right home based on:
- Your budget
- The size of house you need
- The number of rooms and bathrooms you want
- The home’s accommodations
- Location
- And more
Provided, not all of your requests may be practical or available based on the local housing market and your budget. There will likely be some compromises to make. However, if you’re realtor is presenting homes drastically outside of your specifications, you may need to address it with him or her.
Find Out if the Real Estate Agent Has Any Valuable Connections
One of the best perks of learning how to find the best real estate agent is the connections they bring to the table. Good real estate agents know how to network with other local businesses. This benefits you, the real estate agent, and those other businesses.
By working together, you can find other quality businesses in town, such as residential movers, contractors, landscapers, house cleaners, painters, and other service providers. In many cases, hiring these services through your real estate agent’s referral will grant you access to valuable discounts.
Ask potential realtors what other local businesses they affiliate with to see if they can provide any inside deals.
Ask About Communication Methods
As noted previously, it’s important that your realtor is available to you as much as possible, within reason, of course. When interviewing prospective agents, ask them about their communication methods and standards.
Make sure they provide clear lines of communication for their clients. Primarily, this includes phone calls, text messages, and emails.
Calling and texting are ideal for communication during the day. For example, if you find a home you want to tour as soon as possible. Alternatively, you need direct communication if you decide to put an offer in on a house, particularly if there are other interested buyers.
Using email is a more respectful way to communicate with your agent after hours. For example, if you are scanning local listings before bed and find a handful of homes you want to tour, you can email the list to them. This is much better than blowing up their phone while they’re spending time with their family or trying to go to bed.
Find an Open and Honest Agent
Not all real estate agents are created equally. Some of them care more about making their commission than taking care of their clients. As such, it’s not uncommon for a realtor to downplay the negative aspects of a house to make a faster sale.
Learn how to find a realtor you can trust. They will tell you if the owner is asking too much for the home or if there are any other points of concern. You don’t want to buy a house with a ton of underlying issues your realtor didn’t feel like pointing out.
One of the most important goals of a realtor should be mitigating your risks, not exacerbating/ignoring them. A good realtor will help you know what questions to ask your home inspector. This is vital for getting a house without hidden issues.
Consider Hometown Experience
Using experience alone to find the best real estate agent isn’t always recommended. Some of the most experienced realtors are the ones who are too busy or no longer care about their clients’ needs.
However, it never hurts to have someone on your side who knows the area well. Finding a realtor with hometown experience and knowledge will be handy for finding a home in the right area of town.
They’ll have adequate knowledge of the safest neighborhoods, the best school districts, and more. This can be especially important if you’re moving to a new state.
Looking for More Tips on Moving?
If you’re in the market for a new house, it’s imperative to learn how to find a realtor who meets all of your expectations. They can help you get into the best home for you, your family, your budget, and your lifestyle.
And if you know you’re going to need help moving, we’ve got you covered. We offer local and long-distance residential moving services. Contact us today to get a free quote, we would love to help you on this part of your journey.