Whether you’re buying or selling, you need a good real estate agent. While you can technically buy or sell a home without an agent, it is a legal transaction and you could get yourself into hot water if things aren’t done properly.

There are over 1.3 million realtors in the U.S. so you have plenty to choose from. How do you make sure that you’re choosing the right one for you? Continue reading this article and we’ll help you figure out how to decide who is the best real estate agent for your selling or buying needs.

Finding a Good Real Estate Agent 101

If you’re sifting through things like the FSBO MLS and you’re not sure what you’re looking at — that might be a sign you need a good real estate agent. While some people want to take care of things on their own, that’s not you. Here are the tips you need to hire the right person for the job.

Put Feelers Out With Your Network

If your network knows someone you can trust, that’s a great place to start your search. You may not know people in this area so it might be a little bit more difficult if you’re looking to buy a home.

Talk to the City’s Chamber of Commerce

If you don’t have a big network in the area already, you can visit the city’s chamber of commerce. The chamber of commerce usually has a good feel on the pulse of who is a good person to help you with your needs. You may even be able to go to one of their mixers to see if you meet a real estate agent that you feel will be a good fit.

How Quickly Do They Respond?

Once you find some good options for real estate agents, you should make sure they respond quickly. While they don’t have to respond immediately, you do want to make sure you can get your questions answered within a few hours during regular business days.

Do They Have Expertise In the Area?

Having a real estate agent that has expertise in the neighborhood you want to move into will allow you to get the best information about where you’re moving if you’re buying. And if you’re selling, you know your real estate agent knows how to showcase the area in a positive light.

Ask the real estate agent specific questions about the area in question and see if they are able to answer insightfully.

Look for a Full-Time Agent

When you’re searching for a real estate agent, you might find a lot of people that have cards that say real estate agent but they don’t work this job full-time. If you work with someone that does real estate as a side job or a hobby, you’re not likely to get the results you want.

Ask the real estate agent you’re considering how long they’ve been in real estate. Also, don’t be afraid to ask them to see their credentials and ask them how many transactions they complete in a month.

Make sure you feel comfortable with the real estate agent. You’re likely going to spend pretty much time with them whether you’re buying a new home or selling the one you currently have.

Preparing to Buy

Before you even start looking for a real estate agent to help you buy a home, you should speak to a lender first. Many professional real estate agents won’t even show you a home if you don’t have a letter of preapproval.

Get everything in order before you speak to a real estate agent about looking at homes. If you find a home that you love but you find out it is out of your range, that’s very disheartening. Before going into the bank, you should check your credit score and make sure you will be able to qualify for a loan of the amount you need.

Before 2008, almost anyone with a pulse could get a loan, even if it wasn’t likely that they could pay it back. Nowadays, you have to be well qualified to get a loan so you’re able to pay the monthly payment on it without causing a strain on your pocketbook.

Preparing to Sell

If you’re preparing to sell your home, you also shouldn’t contact a real estate agent prematurely. To get the best price out of your home, you likely need to give it a facelift and fix a few minor issues that it has.

When you’re trying to get a top real estate agent to work on selling your home, you want it to look presentable so they choose to work with you. While some real estate agents might be willing to take on any listing, the best real estate agents are picky about the homes they sell.

Make sure you get everything in your home ready so when the real estate agent comes to speak with you, they see themselves selling the home for you.

Learn More About Real Estate & More

Now that you know more about how to find a good real estate agent, why stop learning there? You can learn other things like how to prepare your home for a sale or how to best prepare to buy a home. We have many articles that can help you with real estate and more.

Browse our site, find your favorite section, drop a bookmark and come back soon for more great reads.