Buying or selling property is a nerve-wracking, emotion-filled process that can end up giving you a home you love or sticking you with a big regret in the form of expensive foundation problems. One factor that can make a big difference in how the experience goes for you is the real estate company you’re working with. You want people who give you actionable advice and aren’t afraid to leave the sugar out of their discussions. You need an ally and an advocate. With that in mind, the following will explore several things you might want to keep in mind if you’re looking for a reputable real estate company.
Ask Around
First and foremost, it’s a good idea to speak to people you know who have recently bought or sold a local property. They might be able to recommend an agent or tell you to avoid a particular agent. If the home was bought or sold within the last year, all the better as this will give an indication of an agent’s current position within and awareness of the local, recent market. As well, some agents find themselves with a ton of bookings and aren’t actively seeking new clients; having a recommendation from a past client can help you get into conversation with an agent that is otherwise not accepting new clients.
Read Reviews
Another wonderful way past clients can help you narrow down a good real estate company is with their online reviews. Take the time to carefully and critically read the reviews you find online. If a review seems too good to be true or too scathing to possibly explain a real-life scenario, click on the reviewers’ name and see if there’s anyone else or anything else they’ve reviewed. This will give you a good idea about whether they’re just dangerously optimistic or eternally pessimistic or not. You’re looking for an agent or company that has lots of good reviews, not just a few.
Keep Your Eye On The Local Market
If you pay attention to the local houses going up for sale and being bought, you’ll quickly notice some patterns. Some places get snatched up right away, and while this has a lot to do with the property and location, it often can also be tied to the real estate company. Look out for agents and companies that are selling consistently, and this will give you a good idea of who has their finger on the pulse of the current real estate market.
Find Someone You Feel Comfortable With
Depending on your background and past experiences, you might not feel comfortable with everyone under the sun. Sometimes families are worried that their atypical structure might put under-educated people off; it’s completely okay to narrow your real estate company options down by levels of welcomeness and the comfort you feel when dealing with them. For instance, this LGBTQ realtor in NH emphasizes that you will be able to find people who are friendly to your being and lifestyle if you look. Using your internal guidance system regarding where you feel welcome can help you make your choice of real estate company.
Consider Specialties
Not all properties are the same. Some properties are homes with business spaces. Some properties are homes with additional units to rent out. Some properties exist along the waterfront, where their residents can soak up the lovely health benefits of living near water. If you have a specific kind of property you’re looking to have, you can seek out real estate companies that specialize in that kind of property or that have agents who specialize in that kind of property.
Pay Attention To Interruptions
When you first start talking with a real estate agent, it is a good idea to pay attention to how often you’re interrupted and how the agent handles those interruptions. If they’re constantly taking calls or asking you to sit tight for a moment as they run to the fax machine, this is a pretty good indicator of the kind of treatment you’re likely to get if you agree to work with them. You want someone who’s going to give you their attention when they’re working on your home search or sale. If an agent is constantly pausing your meeting to deal with something else, this is an indication that they might be overbooked. An overbooked agent isn’t going to be able to devote much time to your individual real estate endeavors.
Look For Indicators Of Honesty
Honesty is something that pretty much everyone in this world agrees is important, but all too often, it gets pushed to the side in favor of convenience or comfort. When speaking to potential companies and agents, look for indicators of honesty. Foremost, you want a steady tone of voice and the right amount of eye contact. This is something that can be tricky to visualize, but you’ll understand when you see it. Liars tend to be more conscious of eye contact and make it more deliberately.
Steady breathing is another sign of honesty; it turns out that pretty much everyone experiences physiological reactions to lying. The heart rate and blood flow change when someone is being dishonest. Not only can you pick this up in the form of breathing patterns, but recent studies on the electromagnetic frequencies of hearts and our ability to pick up on these frequencies (without knowing it, we synchronize our hearts with the rhythm of the hearts of people we like—this is why babies are less likely to experience SIDS if they sleep within a few feet of their parents and why premature twins on the brink of death will often live if placed in the same crib). Studies have found that even though we’re not consciously aware of electromagnetic frequencies from other people’s hearts, some part of us notices differences when they occur. Research has even found that if you find yourself wondering if someone is lying or feeling like dishonesty is afoot, it usually is. In addition to changes in heart rate, a person’s nose tends to engorge a little when they’re lying, resulting in the release of histamine, making their nose itch. If someone touches their nose a lot, this could indicate lying.
The above information should help you seek out a real estate company that works for you. It’s okay if this process takes a bit of time. The wrong agent is usually worse than no agent.
Photo via Unsplash
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