Carolina Real Estate Coalition founder Christy Kimbro shares her advice for choosing a Realtor.
- Select a real estate agent who lives in the same town or neighborhood you are looking in. Using a Wake Forest agent to find a Durham home might not yield the best results, and a local will know the best areas for your commute, schools, activities and more.
- Keep in mind that most areas, the Triangle especially, have unique pockets within the cities and towns that may be more to your liking than others. Be sure to ask your Realtor about this.
- A Realtor that takes more than 24 hours to respond to you may not have the sense of urgency that you need to make a move on a home you’re interested in. Look for someone who is responsive and helpful.
- Outside of questions that may violate fair housing guidelines, there are very few questions that your agent should not be able to answer about the local market. If they don’t know an answer, they should do the research and get it for you as soon as possible.
- There is no such thing as a stupid question, so ask as many as you like!
Have other tips for finding a Realtor, or questions for Christy? Share them in the comments below!
Be sure to like C.R.E.C. on Facebook for the latest on the Triangle home buying market.
Thanks for the tips. I really like what yous aid about how you should choose a real estate agent who responds to your calls quickly, and makes it obvious they are excited to work with you. My mother is looking for a new home, and was considering getting an agent. If my mother were to meet an agent who was excited about working with her, she would definitely be more excited to work with her.
I loved your idea to choose a real estate agent that lives in the same town or neighborhood that you’re looking in. You also said that you should choose an agent that is responsive and helpful; who gets back to your quickly. I think it’s important to ask your agent how many homes they’ve sold within the past year.
Thanks for mentioning that you should choose a real estate agent that who specialized in the area that you want to buy in. I want to hire somebody who is completely familiar with the neighborhoods and can give me insider information. My wife and I are looking for a real estate agent to help us find our first home. We will definitely keep these tips in mind, thanks a lot!
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We are needing to move to up north to stay close to my brother who is going to start chemotherapy right now. It was beneficial to know from the article that one should select a real estate agent who lives in the same town or neighborhood you are looking in. We will be sure to keep that in mind when we start searching for houses this coming week!
I agree completely that it is important to choose a real estate agent that lives in the same area that you are planning on moving into. Because you will have a lot questions about schools, recreational activities, and neighborhoods it will be very beneficial to choose a realtor that can answer those questions. Also, once you have those answers it will be that much easier to be able to make a decision on a house.
You made a good point about how an agent ought to be able to answer almost every question you have. I imagine that if your agent ever makes you feel like your questions are unwelcome than you may want to consider switching. I have never bought a house, but I feel like your agent should feel like a friend.
I agree that a local real estate agent may be a better option when looking for a home. It’s important that you have someone who knows different methods for finding a home as well as the different places within the areas you are looking to move to. There are just so many options out there to choose from that it’s important we have professional help to narrow down our search.
My wife and I are in the market for a new home. We have finally saved enough for a down-payment, and we could use some help finding out dream-house. I didn’t realize how important it is to find a real estate agent that communicates quickly, and that a 24-hour response time may cost you a house you really want. I’ll be sure to remember this while searching for an agent.
My brother is planning on getting a real estate agent. Thanks for the information about how you should get an agent that is responsive and helpful. Another thing to consider is to get a real estate agent that you like and get along with. That way, you will be more willing to trust them.
I’m looking at a house that I want, but I don’t know what to do to get it. It makes sense that I would want to get a real estate agent! That way I can ensure that I get it without issue.
My sister is trying to get a real estate agent to help her. I agree that you should get a real estate agent that lives in the area you are looking in, since they will know the best commute and schools. Another thing to consider is to get a real estate agent that you like. That way, you will be more willing to trust them.
I like your comment on how you would need to check if a realtor lives in the town that you are looking at a home in. It would seem that if they are familiar with the town they would know the local market as well. My husband and I are looking for a realtor to help us buy a home so we’ll have to find one in the community we want to move to.
I like that you mentioned observing how long it takes for the agent to get back to you. You want someone who isn’t too busy to help you out in a timely manner. You should be a priority to the agent you hire.
I like what this article recommends about getting a real estate agent that makes you a priority. It makes sense that it would be good to have an agent that makes communication a priority and wants to help you. I’ll have to remember this so I don’t have any problems trying to find a new home when I move this summer because I won’t have a lot of time.
I like the idea of having a real estate agent in the same town. I also like how you said to look for someone that responds quicker that 24 hours. I think it would be nice to have some help in getting a new home.
I had no idea that someone who takes more than 24 hours to respond may not be the best fit for you. That’s something I would have never checked before reading this. I’ve been looking at finding a real estate agent to help me in buying my first home. These tips will be really helpful in making decision!
You make a great point about using an agent that lives in the area you want to buy. They can tell you the great things about the area and things that they don’t like. They also should have a great idea of the market in the areas and be able to get you a good price.
My mother is looking to find a real estate agent so she can put her home on the market. She hasn’t needed one for years though and needs a little help picking one. I like what you mentioned about not choosing a realtor that takes over 24 hours to respond. They are most likely not the best choice as they are not very punctual. Thank you for your help!
Thank you so much for letting me know that I want to find a real estate agent that is able to get back to me within 24 hours, so I know they have a sense of urgency. My cousin is planning on getting a new house since she has a new job taking her to a new city and wanted to find a realtor to help her. I’ll be sure to tell her to find a real estate agent that is helpful with all their communications with her as well.
I liked that you had mentioned the importance of finding a real estate agent that takes you seriously and can reply to you quickly and offer the help you need. I have been looking for the right agent for awhile now and it has been a very hard process because communication isn’t always the best. Communication seems like it is very crucial in this industry so I will have to start searching for someone who can reply quickly and help me as needed.
I agree that you need to consider a realtor who knows the area you are in. It would be good to find someone with local knowledge because they would know the market. My sister is looking for someone to help her sell her home, so she’ll have to find someone with local knowledge.
I like your tip about how any realtor I hire should be able to answer basically any question I throw at them about the local market. My husband and I are looking for the best agent to help us sell our home. I’ll be sure to ask a lot of questions about the local property market so that I make sure the agent knows what they’re talking about.
I completely agree. Choosing someone who lives or works in the area you are looking to live in is a huge deal. That way they know more about what makes that area worth while. They are also going to know it’s hidden treasures that other agents probably wouldn’t be aware of.
I’ve been considering buying a new home and I want to make sure that I find a real estate agent that I can feel good about. You said that Realtors that take more than a day to respond to questions and inquiries may not have you as a main priority. I would never have considered this to be a major factor when choosing one. Thanks for the tips here.
My wife and I have been wanting to get some real estate as an investment, and I think that working with an agent would be really helpful for us! We’ve never worked with a real estate agent before, so being able to have some tips on how to choose the best one would be helpful for us. I’m glad that you talked about being able to choose someone from the area, and how it can help you get better results when looking for real estate because they’re more familiar with the area! We’re going to have to keep that in mind, and hopefully find a good agent to help us! Thank you!
Thank you so much for mentioning how you should look for a real estate agent who works in the area where you want to move to. A friend of mine was talking about how he needed to be relocated since he is in the military, so I’ll share your page with him. It is important to remember that choosing a real estate agent who works where you want to buy can help you learn about the local market and where the best houses are.
I like what you said in your first tip about choosing an agent in the area you are looking in. I feel like this will allow the agent will have a better understanding of the area and present options from a more insightful point of view. I will be keeping this in mind when hiring my real estate agent.
I agree with you in that it is important to find a real estate agent who is responsive. It is important to remember that doing this can help you get the help you need when you need it and make sure your money is being put to good use. We are looking for a good agent who can help us buy a house and want to make sure we get a good deal on it, so I’ll keep your tips in mind as we start looking.
I’m glad you mentioned how you should ask as many questions as you want when working with a real estate agent. It is always a good idea to remember that choosing an agent you feel comfortable with can help you feel comfortable asking them anything and knowing your concerns will be taken into consideration. Personally, I would also want to check with the BBB and look up ratings in order to get the type of services I need and to find the house I want.
I loved when you mentioned how you should ask your real estate agent who can help you understand the local market. It is important to remember that taking the time to do some research can help you find someone who can provide the type of services you need for your home buying experience. We are planning on buying a bigger house for our growing family, so I’ll keep your tips in mind as we look for the best agent who can help.
These are some great tips for choosing a real estate agent. I really like the one about seeing how quickly they respond to your communication. Punctuality is a virtue, and it’s something I’ll look for in the agent we hire!
I like that you mentioned to not work with a realtor that takes more than 24 hours to respond to you. It makes sense that you would want to ensure the agent you choose cares about keeping you in the loop as much as possible. I want to find an agent to help me sell my home, so I can move my family into a bigger space. I will be sure to keep these tips in mind as I search, thanks.
I’m planning to sell my property, and I’m thinking of hiring a real estate agent to help me put it up on the market. I like your tip on choosing an agent that has a sense of urgency as this shows if he/she is responsive and helpful. I’ll be sure to give further consideration to this once I decide on getting the professional help of an agent for my real estate. Thanks.
My parents left me a house when they passed and I want my family to live there that’s why my wife and I decided to sell our own, have the old house renovated with the money, then move in.I think it’s important to have an experienced real estate agent on your side for all your real estate needs. I reckon that it’s not just because someone you know recommended an agent should be the reason that you hire them, it would be best to perform an interview and/or a background check first — to really assess if they are cut for the job that you require. But actually talking to their previous clients is an absolutely brilliant idea since they are the ones who actually know how the agent performs and could tell you if they would recommend hiring them.
Thanks a lot for mentioning how you should take the time to look for a real estate agent that can respond to your emails or calls within 24 hours. It is important to remember that choosing someone like this can help you find the type of house you need and get the best price for it. I understand that doing some research and understand how the market works can help you make an investment that will be worth it and provide the safety you need in a house.
I like how you point out that a local realtor can be helpful at identifying ares that fit your commute and other needs. I’d like to move into a new home soon, but I have a specific list of wants that I’d like to have in my home. I’ll definitely look at hiring local to ensure my needs are adequately met.
I like how you point out that you should be sure to find a real estate agent that lives in the area you’re looking to buy in. They’d probably know all of the details about the community. My husband and I want to buy a house that will be big enough for us and our three kids in a great area. We’ll have to find a real estate agent that will be able to help us get whatever we want.
I like that you talked about how they should be prompt in getting back to you if you don’t reach them on first notice. This just shows professionalism and a urgency that you mentioned. This is something to take note of when you are looking for someone to hire.
That seems like a great idea to find a real estate agent that lives in or around the same neighborhood as you’re looking in. It’d probably also be a good idea to look into their track record to see how quickly they were able to sell homes. Your tips would really help someone find a real estate agent to help them find the right house.
Thank you for suggesting that you should make sure and ask as many questions as you need to. My husband and I need to find a new house and want to find the best one possible. Hopefully, we can do some research and find the perfect house and agent for us.
You make a great point that you should look for a real estate agent who responds within 24 hours because this shows that they will be responsive and helpful throughout the housing process. My husband and I are planning to buy our first home soon and it would be great to have a responsive agent who can answer our questions and concerns. We want to find a home that is near a school and is in a safe neighborhood, so I will look for an agent who knows the market well and the local community where we are thinking to buy.
I really appreciate your tip to avoid a realtor who takes too long to respond to your phone calls. My wife and I have been thinking of getting a new house, and we are concerned that we won’t be able to find one in the competitive area that we want. I will be sure to tell my wife that we should find a realtor who can keep up with their communication!