When considering purchasing or selling a property, what comes to your mind first? It is a real estate agent/realtor, isn’t it?
As per the statistics from the National Association of Realtors, around 41% of buyers look for real estate agents recommended by their friends, relatives, or neighbours. There are various real estate agents working as a bridge between buyers and sellers for either commercial properties or residential homes. However, not every agent is perfect in their work. Just as there are agents who are skilled in their jobs and have the capability of closing every possible deal with perfection, there are some who lack the skills and might mess up things.
Now, are you confused about whether or not you should hire an agent? Keyrenter Premier is here to talk about the various skills and features to look for while choosing the best real estate agent.
How Do I Choose the Best Real Estate Agent?
The primary quality of a good realtor is that they work just like a conductor. They guide their client, who could be a buyer or a seller and help them achieve their final goal. For a good agent, a property is not just a structure made of mortar and bricks, but an emotional connection of the individual owning it or wanting to own it. Whether it is selling or purchasing, a good real estate agent truly understands that it is a complex process and their support would make it a great experience for both parties.
The best agents are performers who are comfortable talking to clients, as well as every individual connected with the property and the process, with a great sales history. So, when you have to choose the best real estate agent, make sure you focus on the skills and features of the agent.
Similarly, there are many more traits that a good real estate agent or a realtor must possess to help you sell or purchase a house or other property. Let us now take a closer look at the qualities of a good real estate agent to find out how to choose the best real estate agent for a smooth real estate process.
Top 12 Traits to Choose the Best Real Estate Agent
01. A Good Real Estate Agent Is Knowledgeable of Their Field
Consider this scenario: You choose a real estate agent, but, they need to constantly communicate with someone for every small detail related to the market, property, and current prices. Won’t they seem like too much of an amateur? Of course, they would come off unprepared and incompetent. A good real estate agent would keep himself updated with the current situation and price changes in the market. The best agent should be a learner ready to educate himself about the changes in the market, documentation, selling or buying process, pricing strategy, legal requirements etc., as this would open the doors of development and opportunities for having a successful career and remain the vanguard in the real estate market.
They must have all the technical details and specifications of the property, along with its legal title, its area and size, the number of rooms, bathroom etc. They must also ensure that the property has a clear marketable title free from all encumbrances.
02. A Good Realtor Must Have the Ability to Network
The best real estate agent needs to have a strong network to survive in the market. Having connections is incredibly important when it comes to the real estate market. The agent should be known to many people in the market and should have a good number of clients. However, they don’t need to be gregarious to have a good network. To develop a strong network, all the agent needs to do is be at work on time, be passionate, pleasant, and be regular in following up on the network already established. To remain stable in the real estate market, the agent should be capable of building new networks and maintaining them for future growth and business.
03. A Good Real Estate Agent Has Knowledge of the Local Housing Market
A real estate agent will never be successful unless he has complete knowledge of the local area. They should be aware of the location, surrounding amenities, communities in the area, home values, neighbourhoods, history of the seller/purchaser etc. When they clearly understand all of these aspects, they will be successful in building a strong career. Having a thorough knowledge of the locality would help the agent understand the demands and requirements of the client, which will ultimately help crack the deal efficaciously and result in happy clients. The agent should also possess knowledge of the history of the real estate deals in the vicinity and must have the guts and competence to convince the seller when they are overestimating or the buyer when they are looking for something far below the fair market value.
04. A Good Realtor Has Strong Communication Skills
The best real estate agent is one who has strong communication skills and understands very well how to handle every client effectively by learning about their interests. Through good communication skills, an agent can easily discuss the requirements and other matters with the client while handling the contract, as well as negotiate on behalf of the client for a fair deal that benefits both the buyer and the seller. To become a good communicator, the agent needs to be a good listener, should be ready to ask questions to clarify the matter, and maintain eye contact while communicating. They must be able to understand the needs of the seller, as well as the buyer, very clearly.
05. A Good Real Estate Agent is Proactive
According to the American Psychological Association, proactivity helps in determining the difference between the performance of top agents and bottom agents in the real estate market. The proactive agents are aware of how to develop effective leads and contact them at the earliest. The leads an agent owns are their asset in the field of real estate, which helps them with quick closings. No doubt, every lead is not going to close, but the agent needs to be active enough to control the situation and earn the trust of the clients. For this, the agent needs to schedule an in-person meeting with the leads at the earliest and increase the number of meetings for a greater chance at success.
06. Honesty and Integrity are a Must for a Realtor
Transparency is essential when it comes to real estate. A good agent needs to be honest with their profession and clients. If any agent is unethical, immoral, or dishonest, their career will soon reach the endpoint. And, of course, while looking for a good agent, no buyer or seller would want to hire an agent who holds a questionable reputation. There is no doubt that agents need to be profit-driven, but, at the same time, they also need to be genuine or transparent with their work and clients. They must adhere to ethical standards, which will help in building a sturdy reputation in the market. The pricing and negotiations should be transparent and only then they will be able to win the trust of the clients.
07. A Good Real Estate Agent Is Detail-oriented
Merely having a strong network is not enough when it comes to becoming a good real estate agent. The agent also needs to have a hawk’s eye when dealing with clients. Whether it is regarding the price of the house, the prevailing market prices, giving suggestions for improving the house condition, or even reviewing the documentation and process, a good agent needs to be attentive and active throughout the entire process. For this, they should listen to every word of the buyer and seller, uncover any issues or needs during a house hunt etc. during the meetings that help in closing and completing the transaction. They should be capable enough to express the requirements of the buyer and the seller with detailed descriptions, which makes the process easy and convenient.
08. A Good Realtor Is Determined
To have a fruitful career in the real estate field, a rugged determination is one of the key features a real estate agent should possess. A good agent never thinks of failure while starting with any project. Every deal, whether big or small, holds equal importance for the agent. Client satisfaction is what every agent needs to focus on. To win the client’s heart, the agent needs to adopt a stubborn, inexorable, and persistent nature. This will also help them overcome all obstacles, even those from the clients that come in the way of the project.
09. A Good Real Estate Agent Has the Ability to Negotiate
Negotiation ranks among the top skill requirements for becoming the best real estate agent. By developing the ability to negotiate, an agent will be able to manage the listing price, selling price, and commission, very smartly. Once an agent steps into the real estate market, they should start developing their negotiation skills; especially with their commission as that is the hardest part of cracking a deal. If the agent magnificently secures a good amount of commission for themselves, they have the ability to negotiate, which will also benefit you as a client.
10. A Good Realtor Has a Winning Persona
The first impression that clients receive about the agent is a lasting one. This means that a good agent should carry an impressive personality or should be people-oriented. The agent should be capable of gaining the confidence of the clients in the very first meeting and add them to their list of prospective clients. For sure, it takes years to become experienced in the real estate market, but having an approachable personality can score you good points from the get-go. If the agent is sociable by nature, people are surely going to want to work with them. So, look for the persona while looking for a good real estate agent.
11. A Good Realtor Is Registered, If Required by Law
As per the RERA Act 2016, every real estate agent must register themselves with RERA to work legally. Only a registered agent can carry out the legal or authenticated sale and purchase of a house or other properties. If the agent is not registered with RERA, the transactions or deals carried out by the agent are illegal, which can be harmful to the client and the agent in the future. So, if you are looking for a good agent, particularly for legal property issues, they need to be registered and submit the required documents. In the US too, you need to pass an exam and register yourself with a competent authority.
12. A Good Real Estate Agent Always Completes and Closes the Transaction
The ideal real estate agent not only finalizes the price and terms and conditions of the deal, but they will also help and manage the legal registration or documentation process and will stick around till the deal is closed and the property is transferred in the name of the buyer.
What If the Real Estate Agent Does Not Possess a Few of the Aforementioned Qualities?
If you find an ideal real estate agent and they are missing some of the qualities mentioned in the list above, don’t panic. Even if your agent is missing some of the above qualities, they can still be ideal for you, especially if you are a first-time buyer or seller of a property. So, you don’t need to strictly follow this list, but you can make sure that they have at least some of the features.
Do Buyers Have Different Real Estate Requirements?
Buyers have different real estate requirements, which are understood very well by buying agents and not listing agents. The latter work for those who are willing to sell their property. If any listing agent undertakes a buyer’s project, they would be working with a dual agency, which can result in a conflict of interest.
Bottom Line
To summarize, a good agent keeps themselves updated with the latest rules and regulations regarding the real estate market, They also stay abreast with various technological developments like websites, online resources, apps, forums etc., that help them reach their clients with ease and serve them with the best services.
Do you think there are still more traits missing from this list? Get in touch with us to connect with top-performing real estate agents for your property.
We hope that you gulped appropriate information about the best qualities need to be the best real estate agent. Now that you are riding high on real estate, and want to know about the areas of artificial intelligence in real estate that influence the most, here you go:
And before you take a leave, here we have also provided an informative article on mistakes to avoid while investing in real estate abroad:
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Author Bio
Sai Charan Gundreddi – Sai Charan Gundreddi is an author and a freelance content writing specialist with over 3 years of experience in the field. A writer by day and a reader by night, he is loathe to discuss Hinderer in the third person, but can be persuaded to do so from time to time.
