7 Tips for Finding A Sarasota Real Estate Agent
7 Tips for Finding A Sarasota Real Estate Agent
The housing market doesn't make it easy to buy or sell a home in Sarasota nowadays. Sure it's a buyers market, but regrettably, banks are not so quick to lend money...at least not how they used to. And, lots of the houses on the market in Sarasota are "short sales" so buyers may have to wait many months before even receving a response from the bank ...and the response might actually be "no". Just imagine finding the ideal house, putting in an offer, having your heart set on purchasing the home only to find out 5 months later that the bank does not take your offer. Regrettably, that's the reality when working with short sales. On the flip side, selling Sarasota real estate today is no walk in the park either. The simple fact is the supply is just much greater than the demand which will continue to keep prices low for quite a while. Selling your home goes far beyond merely placing a "for sale" sign in your yard or placing your home in the classified ads. So, regardless if you are buying or selling a home in Sarasota, having a Sarasota real estate agent to assist you is crucial when looking for a quick and good deal.
However, with so many real estate agents available, how does one choose the right person? Listed below are seven points to consider when choosing a Sarasota real estate agent.
1. Conduct an Interview
The most effective way to get to know an agent is by talking to them personally. You could talk about what they think of a particular property, talk about their qualifications, inquire about their previous dealings, any problems they've had with previous deals, and find out if their personality is a good fit with yours. Remember, regardless if you are buying or selling a house the chances are you will be spending a fair amount of time with your Realtor so it's best that you get along. You may also tell the Realtor what type of communication you expect and if he or she will be able to reciprocate that expectation.
2. Qualifications
Always check out the real estate agent's qualifications. Does the person have adequate experience and expertise, especially in your local area? They may have an outstanding record in other places, but if they have limited knowledge in your region they won't be any help to you at all.
3. Referrals
Ask your family and friends if they would be able to recommend somebody. Ask them for details about their experience with the Realtor. Don't forget, nobody knows you better than your family and friends and their is no one you can rely on more with their recommendation.
4. Customer Service
A real estate agent needs to be easy to get in touch with and talk to...especially with the technology we have these days. On top of that, real estate agents should be willing to work weekends. Of course everybody is allowed their days off and we all need to be able to spend time with their family, but the fact is a Realtor's job requires working on the weekends so make certain your Realtor is willing to do so. An agent's customer service represents how professional they are and how seriously they take the job.
5. Familiarity with the Area
This is an essential point when selecting a Sarasota real estate agent. The agent that you should be getting must be informed about the market in the region where you are buying or selling your property. The agent must have first hand understanding of the competition in the region, the neighborhood schools and community, and of course, the price range.
6. Use of Tools and Technology
Nowadays your Sarasota real estate agent has to be able to do more than just put your property in the Mid-Florida MLS. Today's Realtor must list your home in all the other real estate sites such as Realtor.com, Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia, Oodle and many others. Also, today's Realtor must know about using YouTube and other top video websites as well as social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
7. Readiness to Hold Open Houses
So, the simple fact is a house is very rarely ever sold via an open house. For this reason, it is not essential for your Realtor to hold an open house every Saturday and Sunday on every weekend. Nonetheless, open houses do remind the neighborhood that your home is for sale so an open house every few weeks is certainly a good thing.
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