If you are looking for help with buying or selling your home most people turn to a real estate agent. While they aren't required to buy or sell a home they are very beneficial to the process and can help you with each step along the way. Sadly you will also sometimes end up paying a very large real estate commission fee for very bad service and a poor real estate agent.
Real estate agents assist homeowners in the sale of their home or help homebuyers purchase houses. Although they are not necessary in the purchase or a sale of a home, they can be extremely beneficial to the home sale process guiding their client each step of the way. On the flip side, you may be paying a hefty real estate commission fee for very poor service. Here are a few signs to look out for to see if the agent that you are hiring is just going through the motions or is vested in you and your home.
Difficulty in Keeping Communication Open
Every agent will have their own method of conducting their business with their client base. Some may prefer e-mail or text over an actual phone call, or they may just return calls at a certain time each day. As their customer they should never just outright ignore your calls. Communication is one of the most important aspects of any service based business, of which real estates is definitely one. By keeping the lines of communications open it will make it easier to conduct showings, appointments, and every other little detail that you will have to contend with as you go through the process. You will sadly find some agents that will only return your calls during very specific times of the day, and some will not return your calls at all. Sometimes you will get an agent that once they have you sign the listing agreement and place the yard signs you will not hear anything from them until there is an inquiry on your house.
As this is one of the biggest areas if you have a real estate agent that is not returning your calls you should probably start looking for another agent.
No Advice On The Home Sale Process
There is a lot of information out there about how to best conduct a home sale, but if you have hired a real estate agent, your major source of information should be the agent. An agent should be telling you what you can do to make your house more marketable such as what repairs will need fixing, what designs are hot in today's market, and who to contact about certain problems. If your agent does not give you such advice, then you are not being given valuable information to make your home stand out amongst buyers.
Adamant about using his Contacts
An agent can be a great source of help when finding specific people to contact about your home such as appraisers, contractors, and real estate lawyers. However, you should never feel that you are being pushed into dealing with someone that an agent recommends. In fact, homeowners should always be free to choose whomever they wish for specific parts of the sale that are outside an agent's expertise. If a real estate agent is pushing you to use a certain lender, an affiliated title company, etc. then the agent may be using you to achieve a referral fee.
How do I find the proper real estate agent for me?
There are a couple of steps that you can take to find the right agent for you. First you should start by thinking of it as you are trying to find an employee for your business. Have interviews with multiple agents and ask things like their years of experience with your neighborhood, their current and average workloads, how they would market your home, and what type of references they have. You should also check with the Association Of Real Estate License Law Officials which is great if you are trying to find out how oversees the real estate industry in your specific area. Once you have that you will be able to inquire about whether the agent has any disciplinary actions filed against them and if so what it is in reference to.
Is It Possible For Vacant Houses To Hurt An Entire Block?
The process of selling your home can be a very complicated thing, and if you have distressed homes in your area it will make it even harder because they can lower the value of your house. Sadly, in today's market, it is a very real possibility even if your house is in great condition, if you are in an area that has a high number of foreclosures and short sales, that your house will suffer right along with those houses.
Do You Know What Happens During The Foreclosure Process
There are not a lot of people that think about the possibility of losing a house to foreclosure when they first purchase the home. The process of foreclosures is not something that happens right away and in the following article we will talk about the various steps that a lending institution can take during the process.
What Repairs Should I Make To Get The Highest Return On Investment
You can tell that home repairs shows have been gaining in popularity due to the large number of shows that show off expensive, over the top repairs. Even if the upgrade is able to get the buyer to say wow the real question is if the expense will actually garner you more money? You do not want to put lots of cash into upgrading something only to find out that you have actually caused your home to be less marketable to home buyers.
