How to Find a Good Real Estate Agent
If you are planning to buy or sell property, finding a qualified real estate agent will help you go through the process without any issues. Instead of wasting your time by planning on how to sell your house, it would be wiser to focus on locating and hiring a real estate agent who will get the job done for you. When looking for a real estate agent in Canada, you should keep the following tips in mind.
Take references
You will need to make a list of real estate agents in your locality before you shortlist and interview them. It is best if you take recommendations from your mortgage lender, bank or lawyer, since all these professionals often work together and have contacts.
Read the local news papers
Read local news papers, especially the Sunday editions, which have contact numbers of real estate agents. Make a list of names with their contact numbers in order to reach them later.
Agent’s Organizations & Affiliations
A Canadian real estate agent can hold more than a dozen organizations and affiliations. It is suggested that you investigate how many does your agent belong to. These organisations can be very helpful for networking, they also show how many people your agent knows. The more contacts your agent has, the better he can work for you.
Contact people in the neighbourhood
Just go around the neighbourhood and ask someone you know whether he or she has the contact number of a real estate agent. The agents who are recommended by your neighbours should be preferred.
Location where the agent has been active the most
Determining the location where the agent has been active is crucial, if he/she hasn’t done much business in your location then you would be walking on hostile waters by hiring this one. However, if you are planning to buy or sell property in the regions where the agent is very active then you are in luck.
Skills
The next most important thing is the assessment of the agent’s selling skills. Look for how many properties the agent has listed and sold in recent months. The answer will give you the exact idea as to where the agent’s strength lies.
Is this a part-time job for the agent
There needs to be clarity regarding the work ethics of the agent, and if this is a full time job for him/her or part-time. It is always better to work with a full time agent instead of someone whose bread and butter does not depend on being a good agent.
Give out advertisements
When planning to sell property it is recommended that you advertise it, which will attract real estate agents and you can then conduct interviews.
