How Do You Choose Your Real Estate Agent?

Everywhere you turn, you meet another real estate agent.  Your book club.  Your Mom's best friend.  Aunt Margaret.  Your History teacher, even!

So how do you pick one to help you sell your home?

As a seller, it's hard to know who is best for you.  Is it the one with the glitzy presentation folder?  The one with the biggest team?  The one with NO team?  The cheapest commission?  The newbie with lots of time?  The experienced agent with decades under their belt?  Hmmm...

Even though I DO have 4 decades of experience, and a glitzy presentation folder, those are not the reasons you should pick me.  (And no, I have never taught history.)

So how do you pick?  My answer honed over 4 decades of experience, is you want the best problem solver!  The one constant in buying and selling homes is that problems are guaranteed - just like death and taxes.  They are tough to avoid.

The best agent will be proactive about issues that can cause problems, and will help you avoid most issues.  Will problems still arise?  Of course.  And when they do, you want the best problem solver on your side.  

How do you know they are good problem solvers, you might ask?  I am honestly not sure other than to read their client testimonials.  She what those who came before you had to say about how their issues were resolved.  Otherwise, you won't really know until your first problem raises its ugly hear.

(BTW - make sure they are "REALTORS", meaning they abide by the National Association of Realtors code of ethics.  That is how you know they are qualified, and will abide by a code of conduct.  I have spent 6 years evaluating complaints of ethics violations my fellow Realtors are accused of, and I appreciate my industry governs itself.  Non-Realtors are ungoverned, and they work in the wild, wild, west.)