In this followup installment to Taking the Oath, we’ll explore good real estate consumerism, and how to–and how not to–use a REALTOR to help you buy or sell a home.
When I married a lawyer, that was my family’s cue to open the floodgates at dinner to every bad lawyer joke ever conceived. The truth is that if I had married a REALTOR, the outcome would have been the same, but without an invitation to dinner.
Despite having had a REALTOR of many years in the family, an agent for Century 21 back in the gold sport jacket days, they’ve become a maligned and misunderstood entity back home. This is what happens when misinformation meets preconceived notions. But if there are as many REALTORs as there are lawyers, logic commands that there are good ones and bad ones, but without having the convenient signifier of a white or black hat.
Categorically, the smart money is usually on using a qualified REALTOR (with a white hat). Most buyers and sellers find it too hard to go it alone, and the decision to forgo the second opinion of someone ensconced in the business can turn out to be costly. The caveat: Choose your REALTOR with the same care you would choose a babysitter, a doctor, an accountant. There are thousands of real estate agents out there, and while that may make your job of finding a great one a little more complicated, there are guiding principles that have served me and many others well over the years. Here are a few, and remember to play along at home by commenting on some of your own.
Do you know what you want?
At the end of the day, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, and what’s important to you, no one can help you, even the best agent in the business. Make the rules. Determine what your currency is, and stick with it. I decided during our last transaction, that we would go slowly, at a pace that was comfortable to us. Any agent who became frustrated at our pace, anyone who tried to hurry us into a contract, was not for us. Once you know what part of the experience important to you, your agent has a much better chance at providing it.
Are you willing to stand up for yourself?
You want an agent who’s working for you, and your best interests. If you find your agent pulling stunts that rub you the wrong way, you have to get comfortable with the art of mature confrontation.
Trust your gut
Anything that smacks of desperation, amateurism, or underhandedness is probably real, not imagined. Be up front, take those hunches, and act on them. The good news is, there is no shortage of good agents in your city or state.
Just the facts, ma’am
If weather is an important consideration, check the weather data, don’t just ask for someone’s subjective data. If traffic is a deal-breaker, look at Google traffic reports. Look up a neighborhood’s Walkscore if you crave a car-free experience. Check property values and comparisons, and ask your REALTOR for clarification or translation if you need it. Look into local schools using the Department of Educations scoring methods. In other words, don’t take someone else’s word for it, look at the facts, and then go about interpreting them.
The customer service team
Does your REALTOR have more backup than the NYPD? That’s going to be important, come go-time.
Consider the REALTOR himself
No, you’re not going to ask him to move in with you, but you are going to spend some time together. If you don’t jibe with him or her, you’re not going to have the best possible experience. The first REALTOR I ever hired spoke only to my boyfriend whenever we were all together, which was comical to me, considering I was the sole buyer and title holder.
Self-reliance and communication
If there’s one thing Suze Orman has taught us, it’s that we, at some point, have to look to ourselves for guidance. No one can care as much about your home search as you, and no one will have to live with your choices but you. And at some point, your REALTOR will have to look to you for direction and guidance too. Decide what things you want your agent to deliver to you, and what kinds of services you think are worth paying for, and then ask for them. Aim high; you don’t just want someone who can open a lock box, you want someone who can provide value. Resist the temptation to act on a friend’s referral, or use a friend who’s new to real estate.
Talk is cheap, information is cheaper (in a good way)
Today is when responsible consumerism marries technology; use the Web to research and find facts, and remember, now that information is freer than ever, you can’t use a price tag to conclude its worth. Use trusted sources, and check facts. Remember, this used to be a lot harder, way back when real estate agents wore big gold sport jackets with their names embroidered on the lapel.
