You may feel overwhelmed and anxious when first trying to find the right real estate agent for you. Choosing a real estate agent is an incredibly personal and important decision. While embarking on this journey, you’ll want to ensure that the real estate agent you choose is suitable. But first, you may wonder, “how do I find a real estate agent near me?” Following these simple tips guarantees, you find multiple, high-quality real estate agents to choose from.
Ask Family and Friends
A simple way to ease into your search to find a realtor would be to ask your family and friends. You will immediately have their trusted opinion in your arsenal by asking your family and friends. If they have bought or sold a home, they may be able to help guide you in your search. If they have bad experiences, you will know who to avoid. Similarly, if they met a stellar real estate agent, you’ll know precisely who to consider. However, even if your family and friends have some good recommendations, you will also want to do some of your research.
Google It!
If you want to do some research on your own, it’s as simple as going to Google and searching something like “Realtors near me” or “Find a real estate agent.” When you search for this, you’ll notice that the first few results will be paid advertisements. Don’t necessarily count these out immediately, but feel free to scroll past these if you want to see the websites that naturally generate the most clicks. When looking at realtor profiles and websites, you should try to find realtors whose personalities shine through. You may be spending a lot of time with your realtor, so you want to ensure your personalities are compatible. Better yet, pick up the phone and call them!
Read the Reviews
To find out more about any realtors you may encounter while doing your research, you should look up some reviews on websites that are not affiliated with realtors or real estate agencies. For example, you can look for reviews on websites like Yelp, Angie’s List (now known as Angi), Facebook, and Zillow. It would be best to look at reviews across all these websites to get a fuller picture of the realtors you are researching. These websites will help you sort out the good from the bad. If you want to see realty-specific statistics related to individual realtors, you can use a website like Realtor.com. On this website, you can see how many houses a realtor has sold, how many properties they have for sale, their general activity/price range, their experience, and many other statistics. This information and the reviews you read on the other websites can help you narrow down your choices with confidence.
Attend an Open House
If you cannot get an accurate enough read of a realtor just through online reviews, consider going to open houses near you to meet with realtors in person. If you visit many open houses, you will meet a variety of realtors. Conversations with them will help determine if a realtor is too pushy or lacks initiative. In addition, having genuine, face-to-face discussions is often the best way to gauge your compatibility with different agents.
Big Box Versus Independent Brokerage?
Now, you may be unsure whether to go with a realtor from a big-box brokerage or an independent brokerage. In reality, there is no “correct answer” to this question. However, there is a correct answer for you specifically. The answer comes down to what you are looking for. In some cases, big-box realtors may have more properties at their disposal being sold and a higher number of agents. So, if you are looking for the prestige of a name, a bigger brokerage might be for you. However, each real estate agent is their business owner at the end of the day. Your personalized service will depend on the individual, no matter the brokerage!
New or Experienced Real Estate Agent?
When doing your searches, you may come across realtors who are somewhat new to the field. You may be hesitant to work with new agents; however, you should not write them off immediately. What new real estate agents lack in experience, they can make up for it in enthusiasm and dedication. They may also be more flexible in working with you. Essentially, you will want to speak with them and create a solid rapport before you make any quick decisions because a new real estate agent could be just the one for you. And remember, an agent typically has the support of their brokerage behind them, so if your agent doesn’t know something, they likely know someone who does!
In Conclusion…
Ultimately, you may still feel uneasy when asking yourself, “How will I find realtor agencies near me that fit my needs?” That unease is entirely natural, and it will help you along in your journey of finding not only a realtor agency but also the perfect realtor. As long as you are diligent in your research and get a good sense of an agent’s personality and professionalism, you will have no problem finding the ideal real estate agent for you.
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