How to find the right real estate professional

Determining what makes a good working relationship between you and your real estate professional can be a tricky item of business. You need to have an advocate in your agent working for you and not just to make a sale. First and foremost however, is that your real estate professional is a salesperson. Trained in practical real estate law and business practices they embark on the world of real estate versed in how to follow the real estate rules of the state they practice in. There job however is to make a real estate sale happen. Most states have what is called a transaction broker, this means they primary function is to make a sale happen. The goal is to get both parties to agree to the terms of the sale.

When determining who best suits your purpose look at what they have to offer. When I look at buying a car I want the top seller in the place. I know he/she can get the job done for me because of past history. A car is a car, and the product does not change from location to location and the laws of selling a car are not complicated. I look to the person that can get the job done and done quickly, because buying a car is not the most fun I can have on a day off.

When buying a house it can be a different story. I not only want a good salesperson I want a person well versed in the complicated laws of the federal and state regulations, knows the area and the product in each different area I am working in and one that has the personality to be able to work effectively with all the parties involved in a real estate transaction.

When I look for an agent he/she will be interested in advancing their knowledge base. I taught real estate and know that what you learn is but a brief beginning of what it takes to be successful. I look for individuals that go beyond with their education and work. Their initials after their names help. A GRI is a graduate of the Realtor Institute which provides further education in different areas of real estate, mine showed me how to view a property as an investment and how to maximize profit potential from a real estate transaction. A CBR/CSR is a person who went through classroom work and transactions to become a buyer’s representative or a seller’s representative. The increased knowledge will work to your advantage in any transaction. A CRS is a Certified Residential Specialist and has to have a number of transactions before the classroom work to have this classification. They can be called an expert in residential transactions and are an excellent choice to have on your side.

In addiction I look for people who give back to the community and the cause of the real estate profession. I look for their affiliations as well, do they belong to local boards and councils? I prefer a person who gives back to help newcomers in the business, a team player that is not just after their own interests.

When you find the right professional it can be a long term business relationship, as well it should. If you are a typical person you will not stay in your home your entire life and you want a person you can trust to help buy or sell your biggest asset and investment, your home.